


Sunshine

by itchyfingers



Series: The It Ain't Over World [5]
Category: Henry Cavill - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Love, Marriage, Romance, Sex, Wedding Night, Weddings, continuing one-shots after the story is done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-01-21 17:39:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 28,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1558625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itchyfingers/pseuds/itchyfingers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry and Nora's life together</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shopping

Henry walked into the bedroom, his hair still curling with dampness around the edges from the shower he’d taken at the gym before coming home, to find his bed covered with bags of all shapes and sizes. There were at least four garment bags that he could see and other shopping bags as well. The labels read like a who’s who of Rodeo Drive. Nora walked out of the closet and smiled when she saw him. “You’re home! How was the gym?”

“Sweaty.” He looked back at the bed. “I thought you and the girls were going shopping for a wedding dress.”

“We did!” She lifted up on her toes to kiss him hello. She loved the way he smelled just out of the shower, all soapy and clean.

“That’s a lot of wedding dresses.”

She looked back at the bed and the loot from her day’s gathering. “Oh those aren’t my dress. I’d be screaming if you walked in and saw my dress. That’s just other stuff.”

“Other stuff.” He walked over to the bed and peered inside one of the bags. “Prada – is that shoes?”

Nora tried to remember what she had gotten at Prada. “Well, it can be. But that’s a purse in there. And a pair of sunglasses.” She kept from squealing, “The most gorgeous sunglasses ever.” Just barely.

He smiled as he surveyed their king sized bed. He could barely see the duvet. “It looks like you had a lot of fun today.”

Nora’s eyes travelled over all the packages. “I really did. We found my perfect wedding dress at _Panache_ super-fast, I just fell in love with it, and then we had all this time left so we kind of just made our way up Wilshire to Rodeo for the next several hours and I’d forgotten how much fun it is to go shopping with a bunch of girlfriends and I was just going to try things on for giggles, but it was pointed out to me by all four of my bridesmaids that I am going to be going to more fancy things now that I’m married to you and I should probably have a wardrobe that could meet that and even if they aren’t fancy things, I actually leave the house now, and that even if I wasn’t getting married to you I haven’t really bought any new clothes in two years except for that dress I wore to that thing with you and apparently my jeans are out of style. So maybe I went a bit overboard but it was a ton of fun being one of the girls again and I did find a perfect dress for the rehearsal dinner and new jeans that are actually in style and some cute shirts and a pretty dress for when you take me out to a nice restaurant and,” she trailed off. “I got a little carried away.”

Henry had been trying not to laugh through her excited rehearsal of the day’s events, but now he couldn’t help it. “I love it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He kissed her again. “It means you’re looking forward to a future, to our future. And you went out and had fun with your friends and laughed and ate and I’m really curious about your wedding dress, but I won’t ask.”

Nora decided to test how genuinely happy he was about her sudden infatuation with new clothes.  “I bought shoes.”

“Good.”

“They can’t get wet.”

“Well, you also have shoes that can get wet, so now you have both.”

Nora laughed. She had to remind herself that he had previously had other girlfriends, so the sight of a girl shopping wasn’t going to give him an aneurysm. “It’s weird to buy shoes that aren’t designed to go in water. And there’s a pile of clothes in there,” she pointed to her closet, “on the floor that I’m getting rid of. I need to decide which to donate and which to just trash, so if you have stuff you want to get rid of, feel free to throw it in there as well.”

Henry linked his arms around her waist before she started back in on reorganizing the wardrobes and kissed her. “Before you spend the rest of the evening going through our closets, why don’t you pick a brand new outfit, put it on, and let me take you out to dinner.”

Nora scratched behind her ear. “You want fancy or casual?”

“You choose.”

“Then casual. I bought more new jeans than dresses.”

Henry grinned at her answer. “That’s my girl.”


	2. Yellow Pants

Nora was curled up in the corner of the couch, a legal pad in one hand and a pen in the other as Henry stretched out at the other end, watching a rugby match on the television. “Are your brothers going to kill me if I make them wear yellow pants?”

“No. They might beat  _me_  unconscious though.”

She scratched through that item on her list. “Probably not then.”

Henry’s head fell back as he laughed. “Just probably?”

She stuck her tongue out as she flipped the list around so he could see she had crossed it out. “Don’t worry. No, yellow pants.”

Henry sat up enough to take the list from her and read down it. After a few seconds, he looked up at her, and eyebrow raised. “Find someone to threaten Elodie?”

“Well, yeah.” She threaded her fingers through her hair, pulling it back from her face. “Not with bodily harm or anything, just to remind her before the girls walk down the aisle that if she misbehaves, she doesn’t get to go the reception and have cake.”

“You’re smart.” He looked through the rest of the list. “Can I borrow your pen?”

Nora handed it to him and watched as he wrote something on the bottom and then handed the legal pad back to her. She read his addition. “Have sex with your fiancé right now.” She looked at him sternly and then giggled. “I guess if it’s on the list I have to do it, right?”

Henry flipped off the television as he grinned crookedly at her. She pulled her t-shirt up and flashed him before laughing even harder. Henry scooped her up and headed for the bedroom. She wasn’t laughing for long.


	3. Bathtime

Nora stared at the rise and fall of Henry’s chest. Her head rested on his shoulder as she lay awake in the darkness, her mind racing too fast for sleep to catch. Her fingers trailed over his chest and he stirred slightly before he caught her hand and sank back into a deep sleep.

She sighed. Nora slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Henry though she wasn’t sure if it would matter. He was an incredibly sound sleeper and he was still exhausted from the crazy last week of shooting. It was good to have him home again but she could probably strip naked and do the Single Ladies dance on the bed and he’d sleep through it. She started the water running in the enormous bathtub before she went to the kitchen and plugged in the kettle. She padded back through the bedroom with a book and a mug of tea, smiled at the sight of Henry curled around her pillow, and was back in the bathroom just in time to turn off the water.

She was a few pages into the second chapter of her book when she heard Henry.

“I was wondering where you’d wandered off to.”

She looked around to see him standing in the doorway rubbing his face with his hands. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” The jets on the tub hadn’t seemed that loud.

“No.” He came over and sat down on the edge of the bath. “Your pillow is much less enjoyable to cuddle than you are.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back to bed.” She grabbed the edges of the bathtub and began to raise herself but he closed his hand over her shoulder.

“Stay. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

She sank back into the water and watched as Henry’s eyes slid down her body. The jets didn’t swirl the water enough to obscure her body from his view. “You know, you could come cuddle in here, if you want.”

“Wouldn’t that disturb you?”

“When I can’t sleep, this is what I do. I just like to occupy my mind rather than let it spiral into worries in the dark. It’s not like I’m trying to hide from you or anything. ”

He stripped off his shorts and she slid forward and the water sloshed around them as he climbed in the tub behind her. She settled back between his knees and shifted her head against his shoulder until she found a comfortable niche that fit the curve of her skull.

Henry pressed a kiss to her temple. “You know, you can wake me if you’re having problems sleeping.”

“I tried.”

“You did?”

“Everything short of grabbing a handful of your junk and waving it around.”

The water rippled around them as Henry laughed. “Well, on behalf of my junk, thank you for not treating it like that.” His arm tightened around her and his thumb brushed over the swell of her breast. “What are you worrying about?”

“Just wedding stuff _,_ ” she smiled and wrapped her arm over his, her wet fingers closing around his bicep. “I can’t believe it’s less than a month away.”

“Are you more worried or excited?”

“Everyone’s going to be looking at me.”

“Yes, they are.”

“That’s not my favorite thing in the world.”

He kissed her temple. “I know, but I’m not sure how to have a wedding and not let anyone look at you.”

“Yeah, I’ve had no joy figuring that one out as well.”

She didn’t speak for a while but her fingers started tapping absentmindedly against Henry’s arm. “Spill, princess. What’s running around in your head right now?”

“Will you walk me down the aisle?”

“Is that the part that scares you the most?”

“Yeah. You’re gonna be way up there and I’ll be all the way back here and everyone’s going to be looking at me and taking pictures and my dad won’t be there and I know I said I would walk by myself, but I don’t think I can do that.”

“Of course I will. If that will make you worry less, of course I will.” He pressed another kiss to the side of her face. The tension in her shoulders made it evident to him that there was still something in her head she was mulling over. He stroked his hand up and down her arm as he waited for her to talk again.

“Do you think there’s ever going to be a time in my life when I’ll stop missing my dad?”

“No. Because you’ll wish he was there to give you away on our wedding day, and then when you give birth to his first grandbaby, and then you’ll want to share first steps and other milestones with him.”

Her back slid against his chest as she sighed. “Sad but realistic.”

Henry lifted his hand to the curve of her neck and she turned towards him, letting his gentle pressure guide her mouth to his. She clutched a handful of his hair as she slipped onto her side, pressing her chest to his.  His arms tightened around her as they kissed and the water swirled around them as he cradled her with his whole body, each brush of his lips drawing her away from the sadness and back into his arms where she was safe and loved and never alone.

Eventually the water chilled enough to encourage them to get out of the tub and after they had dried off, Henry grabbed his shorts from off of the floor. He looked around the bathroom. “Where are your pajamas?”

“I wasn’t wearing any.”

Nora smiled as he arched an eyebrow. She loved that smirk he got when he was about to get flirty. “You were naked?”

“I told you I tried just about everything to wake you up.”

“I’m awake now.”

Nora very deliberately slid her gaze down his chest and settled a little below his waist. “Yes, you are.”

Henry dropped his shorts and picked up Nora. “Come on, sunshine. Let’s go back to bed.”


	4. An Unexpected Phone Call

Nora dug her phone out of her pocket, shooting an apologetic glance at Henry. She had promised him a few hours of uninterrupted time together this evening, and now, half way into the film, her phone had gone off. She’d forgotten to take it out before they had curled up in one of the big recliners to watch a movie and ignore the inevitable craziness that set in when your wedding was less than a week away and half of the wedding party was on a different continent. Nora was about to flip the call to ignore when she saw who was calling. She crawled off of Henry’s lap as she answered it. “Hello, Mother.”

Henry paused the movie as Nora scrambled to her feet. She rolled her eyes at him as she listened. “Yes, you’re still my mother.”

She wearily rubbed her temples. She’d gone through almost eight months of calls with different wedding professionals and one bridesmaid who found out she was going to be seven months pregnant at the time of the ceremony and this one was the one that would make her lose her smile. “I’m sure that was embarrassing for you.”

She looked at Henry and then away. “Yes, it’s true.”

Henry put down the foot rest and leaned forward as Nora began to pace. “No, you’re not invited.”

“Yes, you’re my mother, but never once in my life did you ever try to be my mom. Giving birth to me doesn’t give you the right to attend my wedding.”

Henry stood up as all the color drained from Nora’s face and her eyes focused on something too far away to see. “No, I’m not an ungrateful little bitch. But I’m done. Goodbye, Emelline.” Nora hung up and then threw her phone as hard as she could. It shattered as it hit the wall. Her eyes snapped back into focus as she stared at the broken pieces of her phone. “Oh crap, everyone’s numbers and stuff for the wedding are on that.”

She ran toward the remnants of her phone and Henry grabbed her and pulled her against his chest. Nora pressed her hands over her mouth to keep from sobbing, but Henry’s whispered, “I’m proud of you,” shook loose the last control she had on her emotions. He sank back down in the chair with her in his lap again, stroking her hair while she cried. He waited for a panic attack but it never happened, just the heartbreaking sound of her heart hurting once again. Or maybe still.

She finally picked up the remote and turned the film back on, and then undid a few of the buttons on his shirt so she could slide her hand inside and rest it over his heart. Her face was scalding hot from crying, but Henry didn’t mind as she rested against his shoulder. He idly played with her hair, combing his fingers through the long strands and wrapping them around his fingers. He felt her fall asleep about twenty minutes before the film ended as her body went limp against him. When the film was over, he picked her up and carried her to bed. Tomorrow they would go get her a replacement for her broken phone. He just wished it could be so easy to get her a replacement for a broken mom.


	5. Bunnies

Nora sat with her big yellow notepad, propped up against the headboard. “You picked up your tux from the cleaner?”

“Yes.” Henry turned the lights on the balcony off, leaving the doors open so the breeze coming up off the lake could continue to fill their room with the scent of juniper and ocotillo. “Did you find someone to threaten Elodie?”

“Maisie’s going to do that.” She drew a line through a few more items on the list that had been completed that day. “And all forty seven thousand members of your family arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’m not sure there are quite that many, but I will be meeting them at the airport with the keys to their rental cars and their hotel rooms and then we’re all getting together for supper at seven.” He emptied out the contents of his pockets on his nightstand.

She kept reading from her list “And you confirmed the reservation with the restaurant?”

“Yes.” Nora had given him his own list every morning for the last week. He’d almost complained about it until he had seen the size of the one she was keeping for herself. It turned out almost none of the tasks were about him and her, rather she was focused on making her guests as comfortable as possible. His brothers were going to insist on visiting more often if they thought this was the kind of treatment they were going to get every time they showed up.

“And the welcome baskets for their rooms are on the dining room table.”

“I won’t forget them.” In addition to the elegant gourmet baskets she had put together for all the adults, including little bottles of champagne and hand rolled truffles, she had made special gift baskets for his nephews stuffed with toys, homemade cookies, and sandcastle building supplies. His nephews were going to refuse to go home.

“You’re not mad about me putting them up at the hotel, are you?”

He smiled as he sat down on the bed next to her. He’d been reassuring her about this since she had quietly, almost tearfully, broached the topic of not wanting anyone staying with them during the wedding several months earlier. “Of course not. You deserve a place where you’ll feel safe and peaceful through the next few days.”

Nora looked back down at her yellow pad. Everything that needed to be done today was crossed off. She put the pad on the nightstand and sighed. “You know what we need to do now?”

“What?”

“It.”

He raised an eyebrow. “It?” Was there something he had forgotten?

“Do it. Like bunnies.”

“Oh.” He grinned crookedly. “You want to fuck.”

Nora blushed but nodded. “I need you to tire me out so I’ll be able to sleep.”

“Well, I can definitely help with that.” He shoved the comforter down with one swoop of his hand and then grabbed her ankles and pulled so she was flat on her back. Nora laughed as he kissed the arch of her foot before working his way up her legs. Her nightie had hitched up when he had pulled her down the bed so that he kissed his way up her thighs and over her knickers before finally gently biting her stomach. He rested his chin just below her navel and looked up at her. “So, do you want to be on top so you have to move more or do you just want me to lick you until you pass out from all the orgasms?”

Nora rose up on her elbows so she could see him better over the bunched fabric of her nightgown. “I love how confident you are in your tongue.”

His grinned up at her, his wide smile radiating self-assurance. “I can make you come however you choose. My tongue, my lips, my cock. Hell, tell me where you hide your vibrator and I’ll use that on you if you want.”

Nora’s eyes went wide as a surge of color flushed her face. “I don’t have a vibrator!”

Henry rubbed his scruffy chin against her stomach and placed a kiss right at the waist of her knickers. “You don’t have to hide it from me, sunshine.”

“I don’t! Really!” She sat up and pushed him away before pulling her nightgown down around her knees.

Henry’s brow crinkled and he raised a confused eyebrow as he sat up. “You don’t?”

Nora pulled her knees up to her chest and smoothed the fabric down over her calves. “No.”

All of his past girlfriends had at least one. A particularly bizarre family dinner had revealed that even his mother had one. This was unknown territory for him and he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with this information. “So you just use your hand?”

“I don’t masturbate.”

“You don’t masturbate.” Henry repeated the words slowly like he was sounding out a foreign language. “So when I am gone filming, what do you do?”

“I just…don’t.”

She was talking to her knees now and all he could see were her eyelashes against her cheeks. He’d embarrassed her. Henry placed his hand on her knee and ducked his head so he could see her face. “I’m sorry, I just… So, no orgasms at all?”

She nodded.

Henry scratched his cheek. “Unless I’m on the phone with you.”

Nora glanced up at him. “Well, yeah. It’s different if you’re there, because then it’s us, you know? It’s not just me.”

“Have you always been like this?” Nora huffed and climbed off the bed. Henry hurried after her and tried to get her to stop but she shoved his hands away and opened the screen door out onto the balcony. He tried to follow her out but she slammed the sliding glass door into place. Henry waited for the glass to stop shivering in its frame before he slid the door open again.

“I’m not sick,” she snapped as he took a step out onto the balcony.

“I don’t think you are.”

“Have you always been like this?” She mimicked his accent almost perfectly. “That’s a question a doctor asks a patient.”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t denying yourself under the impression that I didn’t want you to because I don’t care if you do. In fact, I think I’d feel better if you were.”

“Why? So you don’t feel guilty about jacking off? I don’t care what you do. I really don’t. So maybe extend me the same courtesy and don’t get opinionated about what doesn’t concern you.”

Henry held up both hands. He couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten angry like this. “Fine. I’ll just go back inside then.”

“Fine.”

Wondering where his gentle girl had gone, he went back inside and sat on the edge of the bed. He watched her staring out over the lake while she had a death grip on the railing. He had only shut the screen door and at times it sounded like she was talking to herself as he caught wisps of what sounded like her voice coming in with the breeze. She turned and saw him watching her and stomped off along the balcony that wrapped around the entire back of the house and out of sight. Henry flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling reminding himself that four days from right now he would be helping Nora into the back of the antique roadster he had hired for their getaway car. She thought they were staying at the hotel where the reception would be held, but as much as he loved his brothers, he did not trust them to give him and Nora an undisturbed night. Should he chalk this up to pre-wedding jitters on her part or was something else going on?

He got up off the bed and went looking for her. She wasn’t out on the balcony anymore. He knocked on the glass before he opened the door into the kitchen where she was cooking. “Late night snack?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.”

Henry sat down at the breakfast bar and watched as she filled an omelet with cheese and vegetables and chopped ham. She continued to lift the edges and let the uncooked egg slip underneath as the cheese melted. “I don’t think there’s something wrong with you.”

“Everyone else does.” She turned her back on him as she got a plate out of the cupboard.

“Well, everyone else is wrong. I was simply surprised.”

Nora flipped the omelet into thirds and slid it onto the plate before setting it in front of him. She handed him a fork before turning off the burner.

“Aren’t you going to make yourself one?”

“I’m not hungry.”

He looked down at the enormous omelet. “What were you going to do with this if I hadn’t come out to find you?”

She began to wipe down the immaculate counters. “I don’t know. Stick it in the fridge probably. Or leave it on the patio and see what wildlife I can get to visit.”

Henry walked around the breakfast bar and wrapped his arms around her. “Nora, what’s going on in your head? Who has you so upset?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she said as she looked up at him.

It felt like she was begging him to reassure her that she wasn’t broken. “I know that.”

“Why do people think that me not masturbating is a judgment of them?”

Henry ran his hand through his hair. Obviously this wasn’t just about something he had said, but rather he had hit a sore spot in his ignorance. He was going to get to the bottom of this. “Who were you talking to about masturbation?”

“You know how I went over to Jennie’s for a girls’ night last week?” Henry nodded. “Well, we were watching some show and one of the ladies on it said something about having a friend who doesn’t masturbate, and Marianne was like, ‘Who doesn’t masturbate?’ and I was all, ‘I don’t,’ and then everyone looked at me weird and I felt like I was getting cross examined and I like having my orgasms with a partner and apparently that’s the one sexual preference that is not okay.”

“Well, I’m glad I get to be the person you choose to have orgasms with, and I’m sorry if I made you upset. I really didn’t mean to.”

She kissed him on his cheek. “Go eat your omelet.”

Henry took her hand and pulled her around the breakfast bar with him. He cut off a bite of omelet with the side of his fork and then speared it and held it up to her.

“I didn’t poison it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He grinned. “I know. I’m being nice and sharing with you.” He waited until she had the food in her mouth to add, “I’m going to feel so much less guilty about trying to talk you into phone sex now.”

Nora covered her mouth with her hand to keep from spitting food on Henry as she laughed.  Once she managed to swallow the food in her mouth she cuffed him on the bicep. “I don’t recall you seeming particularly guilty about it in the past.”

The dimple in his cheek appeared as he smiled. “Maybe I’ll try every time I call now.”

“Maybe you should finish that omelet.” She smiled back, and while she didn’t have dimples, her smile shone and she was looking him fearlessly in the eyes.

Henry stood, shoved the plate in the fridge and came back to pick Nora up but she was already running down the hallway laughing. She yanked off her nightgown as she ran and threw it behind her, hitting Henry square in the face with it. He pulled it off of his head with a grin and dropped it as he caught up with her, picking her up and swinging her around while kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in return, their laughter disappearing as tongues touched and Henry’s hands made their way down her back to her bum, sliding inside her knickers and kneading her curves.

Henry groaned as he picked her up and she wound her legs around his waist. He slowly made his way to the bed as he kissed her and she suckled on his tongue. He stepped up on the bed and then knelt, placing her gently on her back before he stretched over her. “You never did say what you wanted, sunshine.”

“I want you inside me.” She pulled at his shirt and he yanked it off as he rose up on his knees. Nora undid the button on his jeans and pulled down the zipper. She pulled at his jeans as he tugged at her knickers and they both laughed as they got in each other’s way. Finally, they got rid of the pesky clothing and he laid over her again.

“I love you, Nora. I think you’re perfect.”

She kissed him softly. “I think you’re pretty super, man,” she drawled in her best stoned surfer impression. She giggled and he kissed her again.

“You still want me to tire you out?”

She blushed and nodded.

He slipped his hand between her legs as he kissed her again, and he kept kissing her as his fingers stroked over her labia and then slid between them. Her soft sighs and the gentle movement of her hips against his hand kept him going, happily seeking her exhaustion. One finger dipped inside to be welcomed with a gasp and the clench of her muscles around him. He stroked her over and over as his mouth dipped to her breasts. Her fingers closed in his hair as he licked and sucked, teasing her nipples to alertness. His free hand played with her other breast, and he kept up the teasing touches until she whined his name, grinding against his hand with a note of desperation infusing her movements. He slid a second finger into her as he kissed his way down her stomach, licked her navel and then sought out her clit.

Nora relaxed against his mouth, letting his tongue take control of her entire nervous system. He licked her over and over, bottom to top, little fluttering touches, swirling movements, anything he thought might increase her sensitivity and arousal before he began to suck, gently, and as she started to rock against his face, with more firmness. His fingers stroked in and out and twisted inside her and she murmured his name over and over, getting louder as her fingers tightened in his hair. Her body began to arch, her heels sliding over the sheets as she fought for purchase, and Henry saw the muscles in her stomach begin to tremble.

She came with a rush of wetness that dripped from Henry’s hand. He continued to suckle her clit, keeping a gentle pressure going as she shook and gasped for breath but then he sucked harder again, his tongue rubbing the pebble of nerves with each movement of his mouth. He pressed a third finger inside her, twisting and stretching, rubbing over her g-spot, and didn’t let her descend from the high she was already on. It took just a minute and she was shouting his name again, her thighs clamping around his head like a vise.  

As soon as she relaxed enough that he could move his head he rolled her over onto her stomach. He leaned over her and ran his fingers through her hair, moving it all over to the side. He kissed the nape of her neck and slowly worked his way down her back. His fingers trailed over the sides of her breasts and down to her waist as his lips left a trail of warmth down her spine. He licked the small of her back and blew over the dampness before continuing to kiss downwards until he got to the top of her bum. His hands closed around her hips and pulled her up and he slowly sank himself into her with a groan. His eyes rolled back in his head as he pressed deeper, feeling her open to take him and the warm snug fit of her body around him.

Henry pulled almost all the way out, stopping as he heard Nora whimper. “Do you want me inside you, sunshine?”

She reached back and grabbed his thigh. “Yes,” she hissed out as he pushed back into her.

He pulled almost all the way out again, leaving just the tip of his cock inside her. “Then you take it. Take exactly what you want.”

Nora groaned as she pressed back against him, sheathing his cock with her body.

His fingers tightened around her waist and he pulled her almost all the way off again. As soon as he let go she pushed back again. “That’s right, princess. You take everything you want.” His hands rested loosely on her hips as she pulled almost all the way off and slammed back again. Her eyes were closed as she took him at exactly the pace she wanted. Henry groaned at the sight of her body flushed with color and damp with sweat, the luscious curve of her spine, and the view of his slick cock being repeatedly enveloped in her body. “You are so perfect, Nora. You fuck yourself onto my cock just the way you want, babygirl.”

She cried out at his words. Dirty talk embarrassed her unless it was Henry whispering in her ear or she was already lost in thrall to his body, and then it ignited something deep and primal in her. Henry reached around and stroked her clit and her body jerked like she had been electrocuted. She stopped thrusting back as his fingers circled and he stopped as well. “You need to keep moving, darling.”

She whined as she started moving again, finding it almost impossible to keep up a steady rhythm as his fingers fluttered against her aching clit. Henry tried to think of anything but what she felt like as she rode him. He fought the impulse to grab her hips and set his own pace of furious thrusting until he came. Her thighs started to quiver and he knew she was close to coming again. “That’s right, Nora, you are so fucking perfect.”

Her orgasm slammed into her like a tidal wave instead of the slowly building ones she normally had. Henry pulled out but kept his fingers moving over clit as she silently trembled. Her mouth was open but no sounds came out and no air either until she gasped almost painfully after several silent seconds. Henry waited for a few more panting breaths before he rolled her over and settled himself between her thighs. He brushed back the damp hair that was clinging to her face before he kissed her. His groan echoed in her mouth as he pressed inside her again. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, her ankles crossing over his bum, too strung out on the pleasure soaking through her to do anything but hold on as he began to move.

They kissed as he drove into her. He hitched up one knee for added leverage as she rocked underneath him, propelled by every thrust of his body. He finally broke away to gasp in a breath as his lungs burned and screamed for air. Her soft moans sounded right against his ear and her nails dug into his back as she held him right against her. There was nothing sexier to him than the sound of her pleasure and he pressed a hand between them to find her clit once more. The throbbing in his groin let him know that he only had moments before he was going to lose the struggle to keep himself in check and he wanted one more for her.

Nora was so sensitive by this point that at the first slight touch of his fingers her stomach tensed. “Henry,” she dragged out his name like a prayer, and a few more thrusts into her and the brush of his fingers and her head fell back on a keening wail of pleasure. Henry followed a few seconds later, his head dropping as he bit his bottom lip fiercely as he took the final few thrusts he needed to come inside her body.

Nora didn’t have enough energy to wipe away the sweat that beaded her forehead. Henry kissed her and then the tip of her nose. “You going to be able to sleep now?”

Her eyes were already closed and she made a sound of agreement. Henry grabbed a towel from the basket under the bed and wiped off her face and kissed her again. “Goodnight, sunshine.”

“Goodnight, almost husband.”

Henry got up to turn off the lights and lock doors. By the time he was back she was sound asleep on her stomach. He got into bed and kissed in between her shoulder blades. “Goodnight, almost wife.”

 


	6. With Friends Like These

_A/N A drabble inspired by[this post](http://notsomolly.tumblr.com/post/92338388127/stand-by-me-someone-let-me-know-when-they-find)_

Nora stood in the back of the home theater for a few seconds while she gained the courage to go up to Henry. Finally, she took the final few steps and stopped in front of him, a small bundle of blue fabric in one hand. Henry paused the game he was watching. “Hello, sunshine. Come to watch with me?”

Her hair was covering her face as she shook her head.

“What’s on your mind?”

“You know how my bachelorette party is tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“They said they wouldn’t invite a stripper if,” her voice trailed off.

“If what?”

Nora threw the article of clothing at him. “If you put those on and dance for me.” She covered her face in her hands.

Henry picked up the pair of blue briefs and laughed as he saw the Superman logo over the crotch. “Alright.”

Nora peered through her fingers. “Really?”

Henry stood up and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “Of course.” He kissed her hands away from her face until he could find her mouth. “Though, you know,” he dragged his lips against hers, “I should get to buy you a sexy little silk nightie and have you return the favor.”

All of the air in Nora’s lungs rushed out like she was a popped balloon. She stroked her hand over his chest and found reassurance in his faster than normal heartbeat. Apparently she wasn’t the only one affected by this idea. Her teeth closed over the inside of her bottom lip before she slowly smiled and nodded, not quite able to look him in the eyes.

Henry kissed her once more, suckling her bottom lip until she wasn’t biting it anymore and then teasing her mouth with a hint of his tongue. “Pick out a song while I go change.”

Nora watched him walk out the door as he pulled his t-shirt off over his head before she turned to the stereo. Her cheeks were flushed already and he hadn’t even done anything yet. She had no idea what song to pick, but that was okay. She didn’t think she’d be listening very long anyway.


	7. The Wedding

Henry stood at the front of the chapel. It was one minute before four. He’d spent the morning playing nine holes of golf with his brothers before going back to the hotel to get ready for his wedding. His brothers had helped, made sure he ate since for the first time in his life he didn’t have an appetite, and got the studs to his tuxedo shirt in place since he kept dropping them. He hadn’t seen Nora since the night before as they had separated for their parties. The men had gone paintballing in pastel seventies ruffle-front tuxedos. He had been glad that they hadn’t booked an early tee time because they had all woken up with hangovers to sleep off.

Nora stood in the bride’s room at the church. The wedding planner was matching up her girlfriends with Henry’s brothers and lining up the flower girls. Each of her Brownies had picked out the yellow flowers she wanted in her crown, giving them a bit of individuality in their matching white dresses. Their green sashes perfectly matched the bridesmaid dresses. Everything matched. Everything was perfect. She took a deep breath as the doors to the chapel opened and the processional started.

Henry’s parents, eight flower girls, and then the bridesmaid and groomsmen proceeded down the long white aisle Henry’s nephews had refused to participate. She could hear the female choir in the balcony sounding like angels as they sang “[Dona Nobis Pacem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fhJ6XrZ4jg).” There was no outburst that indicated that Elodie had done anything horrendous as she made her way to the front of the chapel. Maisie smiled at her and gave her a hang ten right before she started down the aisle on Niki’s arm. Maisie had kept her sane the last few weeks, especially last night. They’d all gone to her favorite honky tonk and she’d danced with all her old men friends – all of whom were in the congregation today – gotten drunk, and had even done a little Coyote Ugly with her bridesmaids on the bar, something she would never have suspected herself capable of and something she was afraid she would never live down.

The doors to the chapel closed and she moved into place. The wedding planner smoothed out her train and then fixed the drop veil that floated out behind her even further than her train did. It draped over her like a mist, held in place by one tiny pin in her hair that would keep it from slipping while she walked or falling off when Henry finally folded it back. Her palms were sweaty as she wrapped her hands around her bouquet, feeling the locket with her father’s picture in it that she had pinned to the stems pressing back in comfort. She had told Henry she could do this. She had told him she could make this walk herself. She had told him she was brave and could choose a life with him. Now, standing in the foyer and waiting for the doors to open again, she wasn’t sure.

Henry was more nervous than he’d ever been before, even more so than auditioning for Superman, but it wasn’t for himself. It was for Nora. She had changed her mind again three days ago and said she was going to walk down the aisle alone. She’d done it fine at the rehearsal the night before, though that may have been made easier by the fact that everyone was on at least their second glass of champagne and someone helpfully blasting Johnny Cash singing “[I Walk the Line](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHF9itPLUo4)” over the chapel’s speaker system. He stared down the aisle, waiting to see her for the first time and praying that she would be alright.

Nora heard the choir shift to “[Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPeVIuRjUi4).” It was one of her favorite pieces of sacred music and she took comfort from the familiar words. And then the doors open and the music was blotted out for a few seconds by the rustle of everyone standing and looking at her. The aisle stretched out in front of her for miles, and it seemed that every yellow and white flower in California had to have been relocated to the cavernous cathedral. A hysterical voice in her head whispered she was at the wrong wedding because this was not the church she had practiced at last night. It was at least five times the size. There were a dozen football fields waiting for her to traverse them.

“Honey?” the wedding planner whispered.

Nora heard her and knew she was supposed to have started walking by now. A nervous whisper echoed around the chapel. A flash of movement at the front of the chapel caught her eye. Henry had taken a step forward, placing himself in the center of the dais rather than the priest. She could see him raise an eyebrow in question and she shook her head. She swallowed and took a step. Another breath and another step. She kept her eyes fixed on Henry. The veil fuzzed over everything else. All she could see was Henry and his smile. She didn’t blink her whole way down the aisle, terrified that if she closed her eyes she would stop moving, but finally she made it to Henry. She dropped her bouquet and grabbed his hand with both of hers.

Her pastor smiled reassuringly. “Do you need a moment?” he asked softly. He’d learned a lot about Nora’s shyness in the years she had attended his church.

Nora nodded and Henry gently lifted up her veil and smoothed it back into a cloud around her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m proud of you, sunshine,” he whispered. “You did it.” He looked her up and down, from the tiara perched on her head, past the delicate lace that covered her shoulders and arms, to the flowing white skirt that seemed to float around her, and then back up to her deep green eyes. “You have never been more beautiful to me than you are in this minute.”

She slid her hand inside his tuxedo coat and rested it over his heart for a minute as she leaned her forehead against his lips for another moment. Her shoulders rose and sank with a deep slow breath and then she looked up at him and smiled. “Feel like getting married today?”

“I think that sounds like a good idea.”

She slipped her fingers in between his and they turned to face the pastor.

Nora had wanted a very traditional wedding. There were to be no surprises or reciting vows she had written and might forget. The service was familiar and beautiful and timeless. It was a pledging of hearts and of souls and she relied on the readings and music to express what was in her heart. A passage about love from Corinthians, a wedding prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson, the choir singing “[This is the Day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl93WXJEVMQ)” by John Rutter since it had been sung at the royal wedding, and the traditional vows of love, honor and respect.

Henry had insisted that there be at least one personalized exchange in the ceremony and Nora had conceded. The pastor said, “Though some couples choose to write their own vows, Nora and Henry wanted a few moments here to express their feelings for each other.”

Nora took the microphone from him with trembling hands. “I love you, and you know how terrifying it is for me to be the center of attention, so I recorded my part earlier or you would have had to pull me down the aisle.”

She thrust the microphone back at the pastor as Henry said, “I will always carry you, Nora.” His eyebrows rose as the first notes of a piano began to play over the speakers. A woman’s voice began to hum along. “Is this you?”

Nora nodded and Henry swallowed back the lump that was suddenly in his throat. “I hired some studio musicians.”

He took her hand and tugged him to her so they could dance. His hand settled on her waist as the words started. “[How long will I love you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an4ySOlsUMY)?” Nora closed her eyes and let him lead her. She sang along softly, barely loud enough for him to hear, and found herself reluctant to let him go when the music stopped. She opened her eyes as he kissed her forehead again. Her veil was wrapped around their legs from their dancing, binding them together.

Henry knuckled away some tears before he took the microphone from the pastor. “Nothing I could do will ever be more perfect than that.” He paused and sniffed. “One of the things about my job is that I’m gone for long stretches of time. It’s difficult being apart and I found this poem that says better than I ever could that no matter the distance, we will never truly be apart from each other.”

 

> **I Carry Your Heart With Me**  by E.E. Cummings
> 
> I carry your heart with me
> 
> (I carry it in my heart)
> 
> I am never without it
> 
> (Anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
> 
> I fear no fate
> 
> (For you are my fate, my sweet)
> 
> I want no world
> 
> (For beautiful you are my world, my true)
> 
> And you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you
> 
> Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
> 
> (Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
> 
> And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
> 
> I carry your heart
> 
> (I carry it in my heart)

Nora squeezed his hand as he handed the microphone back. She wiped away the tears that were clinging to her lashes, grateful not for the first time today for waterproof mascara. Judging by the sounds, she wasn’t the only woman in the chapel grateful for that.

The pastor smoothed his stole before taking the center of the dais again. “Take each other by the hands. Before you exchange rings I would like you to look at each other’s hands while I bless them, using the words of an unknown author.

 

> These are the hands of your partner, young and strong and full of love, holding your hands as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future. These are the hands that will hold you and comfort you in grief and uncertainty. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and joy. These are the hands that will hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength. And these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

“Now, do you have the rings?”

Maisie and Niki both handed forward the wedding bands. The pastor nodded to Henry. He took Nora’s hand and slipped an eternity band of yellow diamonds on her finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face. Her sweet smile warmed him like she really was the sunshine he called her.

Nora placed the classic gold ring on Henry’s hand. Her hands were perfectly steady. “With this ring, I thee wed.” She had never felt more at peace in her life than she did in that moment. It didn’t matter that two hundred people were staring at her. She was marrying her best friend and there was nothing to be anxious about in that. Her smile widened and so did Henry’s.

“With that, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Henry carefully touched Nora’s face, cradling her cheek in one hand and bent towards her. She lifted on her toes, resting her hands on the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. His heart raced under her palm, matching the pounding of her own heart. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed against hers. The applause was like distant thunder as the sweet scent of the rose in his buttonhole wrapped itself around them like the veil still tangled around their feet. Their lips moved and Henry pulled her tighter as their tongues touched for the briefest instant.

“May I present Mr. and Mrs. Henry and Nora Cavill.” The applause drowned out the first few notes of the recessional as Henry scooped Nora up in his arms. Maisie hurriedly untwisted the veil as Henry took his first few steps back down the aisle.

“You’ve walked alone enough, sunshine,” he whispered in her ear.

Nora rested her head against Henry’s shoulder and closed her eyes. George Harrison sang, “[Here Comes the Sun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_dBwJDUlS4).” She was safe in her husband’s arms. Everything was all right.


	8. The Reception

Cocktail hour was in full swing on the lawn of the beachfront resort by the time Henry and Nora arrived. The wedding party had taken the time to do formal portraits before changing into their much more casual attire for the reception. People were dotted across the grass and the white tent beckoned with promises of champagne and hors d’oeuvres but Henry and Nora took a few moments to themselves, alone together for the first time that day.

Henry clasped his hands over her bare shoulders before sliding them down her warm arms. “I can’t decide if you look more beautiful in this dress or in the other one.”

“It is rather fancy for a glorified swimsuit cover-up.”

“Are you wearing a swimsuit under there?”

Nora laughed and shook her head.

Henry hooked a finger into the halter neckline. “What  _are_  you wearing under there?”

Nora removed his finger and kissed the back of his hand. “ _You_  are just going to have to wait to find out.”

“My brothers wanted me to thank you for not making them wear tuxedos all night. There was a bit of an argument about who got to wear which tie, though.”

“Is that what the noise was about?” The men had changed into their linen trousers and waistcoats in the room next to where the women had been shedding formal gowns for long flowing halter dresses.

“They all liked the same tie.”

Nora had gotten a variety of green ties for the men so they would all have one they liked. “Well, next time I send them an email telling them to pick which tie they want to wear they should respond to it.”

“Are you planning on dressing my brothers on a regular basis?”

“No.” She smoothed her hand down Henry’s yellow silk tie. “But I do plan on undressing you quite frequently.”

“You know,” his fingertips glided down the exposed portion of her spine, causing a shiver to ripple through her, “we could just blow off this party and you could undress me right now.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered. “I’m not necessarily looking forward to being the center of attention for the next several hours, no matter how good the food is.”

“Well, if it helps, I have a few surprises planned for this party of ours.”

“You do?”

Henry’s crooked smile brought out his dimples. “Yes. You’re not the only one who’s been talking to the wedding planner.” He kissed her softly. “Now, come on. It’s just a slightly fancier than normal beach party. You’re not even wearing shoes. You’ll be fine.”

“And we’ve already had our first dance so that’s one less thing for people to stare at me about.”

“I will always treasure that moment. It was absolutely perfect, and there aren’t many perfect moments in life.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and looked out over the festivities already in progress. The sound of laughter and conversation carried back to them on the ocean breeze. “I think I’m going to have more than my fair share of them from now on.”

Henry kissed the top of her head again. He knew that the scent of the flower she wore in her hair would bring him back to this moment for the rest of his life. “If I have anything to say about it, you definitely will.”

>< 

Dinner had been amazing. With Henry’s love for food and her own reputation as a chef on the line, even though Henry had kept his promise and she had not cooked a single thing for the day, Nora had sweated over the menu more than any other detail of the reception and had the caterer put together a special plate for Henry with small portions of all four of the entrees that their guests had chosen among. The toasts had been humorous without being humiliating, cutting the cake had been elegant and delicious, and they joined their guests flowing back and forth between the more formal tents on the lawn and the bonfire on the beach. Now that all the planned parts of the evening’s festivities were over, Nora relaxed against Henry as they stood on the warm sand and talked to their guests. Her Brownies were involved in a very elaborate sand building competition. Some of the male guests were marking off an impromptu football pitch, and she could hear the teams forming up, bride’s side and groom’s side. She just hoped they had agreed on what kind of football they were playing before someone got hurt.

“Where are the ice cream sandwiches coming from?” she asked Henry as she saw yet another couple stroll by with the treats.

“That’s one of my surprises.” He took her hand and he led her to a buffet station that she hadn’t planned. Glass jars full of cookies stretched half the length of the table and the other half was presided over by some of the waiters from earlier dishing out ice cream to press between the cookies of your choice.

She stopped in front of one of the jars. “Those look like my chocolate chunk cookies.”

“They are.”

“But I didn’t make them.”

“I did.”

She turned around to look up at him. “You made them?”

“I know they were your dad’s favorite, and I know you don’t share the recipe, so I made those, and your students made the rest of them.”

Nora didn’t say anything. She just kissed him and then took two of the cookies from the jar. Henry chose the salted double chocolate peanut cookies that had become his favorite and they went to see what flavors of ice cream were available.  

Sandwiches in hand, Henry led Nora over to an Adirondack loveseat a little distance from the cheerful crowd and removed a “Reserved for the Bride and Groom” sign from the seat. They listened to the laughter and watched the football match as they ate their ice cream.

“Thank you,” she said softly, after taking the last bite of her sandwich. “Thank you for giving me a bit of my dad today.”

He pressed his lips to her hair and tightened his arm around her shoulders. “I know adapting to my family has been a challenge. I didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t have your family here as well.”

“You’re my family now.”

They sat together silently holding hands until Nora sighed. “We should probably go talk to our guests again.”

“Your batteries recharged?”

Her smile was gentle as she nodded. “Thank you for the quiet corner.”

He cupped her cheek in one large hand and bent to kiss her. “I will always do my best to take care of you and give you what you need. Thank you for trusting me with your heart.”

They made their way between the beach and the lawn several times, between bottles of champagne being poured by tuxedoed waiters and bottles of beer in big buckets of ice, between sticky s’mores and hand rolled truffles. As the last wisps of sunset faded to dark over the ocean, a muffled pop was lost in the chatter of guests and fireworks began to explode overhead.

Nora turned to Henry to find him watching her with a smile. The explosions reflected in his eyes. “You got me fireworks?”

He spun her around so her back was against his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tilted her head back and let it rest on his shoulder as she watched the lights twinkle and boom overhead. “You give me fireworks every time we kiss. It seemed only fair I should get them for you for our wedding,” he whispered in her ear and she lifted her hand to tangle in his hair.

That was his favorite photo of the day, him watching her watch the fireworks, glowing with happiness and wrapped in his arms.

The fireworks eventually ended. “Ready to make a run for it?” she asked.

Henry nodded. “Shall we go say our farewells?”

It took a few minutes, but Nora had one last surprise in store for her as the petal strewn path lined with guests wielding sparklers led not into the resort but to an antique butter yellow roadster. A chauffer stood with the door open and they piled into the back seat. Nora snuggled into Henry and loosened his tie even more. The scent of the plumeria in her hair blended with the smell of the ocean and his cologne. “Where are we going? I thought we were staying at the hotel tonight.”

“I love my brothers, but I don’t trust them. So we’re going somewhere a bit more secluded.”

She looked back through the window and waved at their guests. “But, my bags. I had bought lingerie for tonight and it’s all back at the hotel.”

“Maisie had all your bags sent along as well. I trust her not to rat us out to my brothers.”

The car started moving and white firework fountains on either side of the road erupted into radiance. Nora grabbed Henry by the tie and yanked him into a kiss, both their faces illuminated by the sparkling lights outside.  When the car was back in darkness and she was done kissing him, she snuggled into his side again. “So, where are we going?”

“Guess. If you could go anywhere you wanted right now, where would you go?”

“Honestly? Home, where it’s quiet and comfortable and there are no strangers to deal with, but I’m sure you have something absolutely amazing planned for us.”

He kissed the top of her head one more time. “I guessed right.”

“We’re…we’re going home?”

“Yes, Mrs. Cavill. I’m taking you home.”


	9. The Wedding Night

Nora exited the bathroom wearing a floor length completely sheer white negligee. Her modesty was preserved only by a pair of delicate lace panties. She stopped when she saw Henry propped up against the headboard, the comforter pulled up to his waist, exposing a completely bare chest.

“Are you already naked under there?”

He grinned and flipped back the comforter to reveal the blue Superman boxer briefs from a few days earlier. “You liked them so much last time I thought I would wear them again.”

Nora giggled and covered her face with her hands. “It wasn’t the shorts as much as the dancing.” She peered through her fingers at him. “Are you going to dance for me again?”

His rakish grin intensified and he cocked his head to the side. “Do you want me to?” One eyebrow rose in question.

“As delectable as you looked shaking your ass with a gleeful abandon that I still find surprising, I think I shall pass on having you dance for me, though I wouldn’t be opposed to having you dance with me.”

“Would you like to dance, Nora?”

She hurried over to the bed and perched on the edge of it, right at his side. “Why am I so nervous? It’s not like I haven’t had sex before. It’s not like  _we_  haven’t had sex before.”

He stroked her arm, her warm skin smooth as silk under his hand. “Well, Nora Cavill hasn’t had sex before. You’ve never had sex with your husband before. It’s different.”

“Are you nervous?”

He shook his head.

“Are you horny?”

Henry took her hand and gently pressed it against his crotch and let go. Nora blushed and smiled. “Feels like a yes.”

Another gentle shake of the head and he leaned forward to gently kiss her. “Not horny. Especially not horny for just anyone. I’m hard but only for you. I want to make love to my wife. You have become more and more beautiful as this day has gone on, and I don’t have a scriptwriter to give me the words to express what I’m feeling, but I love you, Nora. Marrying you has made me love you even more.”

“It seems strange, doesn’t it? It’s only been a few hours but I love you more than I did this morning.”

Henry pulled Nora onto his lap. “You are my everything, Nora. I love you with all my heart and I will never stop loving you. Ever.”

She stroked his chest, slow repetitive movements that soothed her. “I remember the first time we made love. I told you everyone leaves me and you said you weren’t everyone. You promised me you wouldn’t leave.”

“I never will.”

“I know.” She smiled and her lashes were dark with unshed tears. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “You are my forever.”

Henry combed his fingers through her hair now that it was down and twisted the long waves around his hand. “I know there will be times where we’ll be apart for weeks, but our hearts will never be separated. I am yours, Nora, just like you’re mine.”

“I’m not nervous anymore.”

“Good.”

She braced her hands on his shoulders and swung one of her legs over him, shimmying her night gown up her thighs as she settled down onto his lap. His leg hair tickled the inside of her thighs. He groaned softly as she squirmed into a comfortable spot and she snickered and rocked her hips, rubbing against the hard line of his shaft pressing against the Superman logo. “You would think that you would be used to this by now.”

Henry slid his hands up Nora’s thighs, under her negligee and grasped her rear. He smiled and then pressed upward as he held her motionless and ground against her warmth. Nora hissed out a breath across her teeth as her fingernails scored his shoulders. “You don’t seem to be used to it either, sunshine.”

“How am I supposed to get used to that?” He pushed up against her again and she leaned forward and sucked a kiss onto his throat, letting the noise she made in response to him vibrate against his skin.

His breath rattled under her lips. “Kiss me, Nora.”

She kissed the freckle on his bottom lip first and then kissed him as she leaned into him, letting their bodies press against each other as their mouths moved. Her fingers sunk into his hair and his still firmly gripped her rear, keeping them rubbing against each other. She squirmed in his grasp, pressing firmer against him, making whimpering noises that he savored.

“Now who’s the horny one, darling?” he murmured against her ear as she molded her body to his.

“Can you blame me? You are so gorgeous and perfect and you gave me the best day of my life and I want my husband. I’m married and I want my husband.”

“You want your husband, sunshine?”

“I want my husband.” She trailed her lips along his jaw. “I want him to push me down on the bed, yank off my panties, and fill me with his big hard cock.”

Henry hissed in a breath and pulled back to look her in the eyes. “Well, Mrs. Cavill, I should marry you more often if this is the reaction it gets.” He turned and gently pushed her shoulders and she fell laughing onto the blankets. Her hair spilled about her as her thighs splayed open and he pressed a kiss to her folds through the damp lace of her knickers. She grabbed a handful of his curls and lifted her hips from the bed, offering him another taste. He hooked a finger into the lace and pulled it aside. His tongue dipped inside her, licking her from her entrance up to her clit, and then back down. He pressed inside and her fingers tightened in his hair. “You taste better than wedding cake,” he said and then licked her again.

Nora laughed. “Get up here where you belong.”

“I kind of like where I am.” He closed his lips around her clit and sucked gently and smiled as her body twitched in response to his touch. Nora moaned at the feel of his lush lips pressed against such delicate skin. His tongue teased the little nub as he sucked, and the desire for his cock warred with the delight his touch was causing her. The battle was settled when he pressed a finger slowly inside her. She relaxed her grip on his curls and held him there instead of continuing to pull him up her body.

Henry smiled against her as he felt her give in and crooked his finger inside of her. He knew exactly where to touch her. He normally loved to draw out her pleasure and take his time but she usually wasn’t nearly as outspoken about what she wanted from him either and he didn’t want to ignore her new forthrightness either. Her hips began to move in time with his finger and she made the sweetest sound each time he rubbed against her g-spot. Another finger was added and he brushed his lips against her inner thigh. He wanted to worship her tonight, to touch every inch of her with his mouth, to hold her against him and feel the weight of her soul in his arms.

Nora moaned softly as Henry kissed across her stomach. Her muscles were drawing taut as he explored her skin, all the time his hand continuing to move between her legs. The pad of his thumb dragged against her clit and she shivered as Henry kept kissing over her body, dragging up the sheer fabric of her negligee. Her entire body tingled as he licked the skin where the curve of her breast gave way to the plane of her ribcage and then he kissed over her breast, drawing her nipple into his mouth and laving it with his tongue. All she could do was move with his touches, writhing under his hands and mouth to maximize the sensations he was causing.

Henry felt her body going taut against his and reluctantly dragged his mouth from her breasts to kiss up her throat. Her fingers had tightened in his hair and her other hand was clenched around a fistful of blanket. His mouth closed over hers and he swallowed her cries as she arched up and then trembled. Her arms wrapped around him as they kissed, her hands smoothing over his back. She loved the feel of his body shifting and the ripple of muscle under her fingers as he moved. He let go of her long enough to shove his briefs down and Nora grabbed his rear as he settled between her legs and pressed inside her.

A groan like his soul had been ripped from him echoed in the room and then he began to move. Nora kept stroking his body as they kissed. Their bodies moved together and her arms tightened around his shoulders as a fine sheen emerged on both their bodies. His hand glided up and down her thigh as he kept up the steady drive of his hips into the soft cradle of her body. They couldn’t stop kissing, barely pausing for a gasping breath when their lungs ached. They needed each other with an intensity new to both of them, an intensity not born out of doubt or fear, but of love and certainty. They wanted the first taste of their new forever, and they found it in each other’s arms.


	10. The Honeymoon

The hammock swayed slowly in the breeze. The humid air carried the sound of the river below and wild birds calling back and forth and the heavy scent of damp earth and growing things. Every once in a while they would hear a monkey call. Henry’s fingers slowly trailed up and down Nora’s spine as she lay across him, her head resting over his heart. Both of their feet stuck out over the edge of the hammock. Periodically, Nora would rub a foot against one of his. Other than that, she seemed perfectly content to just lay there. This was the most relaxed she’d been their entire honeymoon.

“We should get one of these for our balcony at home,” she finally said, her first words in almost an hour.

Henry chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“I’ve been laying here trying to figure out how to take the whole treehouse home, but I can’t figure out how to fold it to fit in my luggage.”

“Well, we might not be able to take this one home, but I can get you a treehouse of your own back home.”

She softly pinched his waist. “ _Our_  own.”

Henry smiled and moved his hand to her hair. It was just as silky as her skin, but cooler to the touch. “Our own.” She had acquired a new aura of calmness since their wedding. He wasn’t sure if it was because the stress of the event was now in the past, or if was the effect of honeymooning together, or if it was a permanent change now that they were married and she felt more confident in their relationship and his love for her. “I’ve been thinking we should get a cabin of our own for family holidays. We could get a treehouse cabin.”

“Do they make those?”

“I’m fairly sure they do, and if they don’t, we’ll just have to build it ourselves.”

“Can it have a slide down to the ground?”

He grinned and twisted one of her sun kissed locks around his finger. It had become even more golden than usual after a week on the beaches of Belize. “Absolutely.”

“And skylights?”

“Of course.”

“And a hammock.”

“Just like the one we’ll have at home. You will always have a hammock available.”

“I won’t always be wearing a bikini in it.”

“I know.” He smiled and tugged playfully at her bottoms. He’d already undone her top so that he could more easily stroke her back. At least that’s what he’d told her when she’s started laughing at his fumbling effort to unhook it. “Bikini Nora is just for me.”

“Just for my husband,” she murmured, tilting her hand back and forth on his chest so she could admire the way the diamond caught the sunlight.

“How have I been doing at being your husband, Nora?”

“I think you have been doing absolutely perfect.”

He plucked a piece of papaya from the bowl on the nearby table and fed it to her. She grasped his wrist when he drew his hand away and pulled it back to her mouth. She delicately licked the juice from his fingertip and then licked his thumb. She could feel the arousal ripple through his body under hers and looked at him with innocently wide eyes as green as the tropical foliage surrounding their tree house as she sucked his thumb into her mouth. She pursed her lips as she slid back up and wrapped her tongue around it, dragging her tongue along the underside. He continued to pull out his thumb, letting it fall heavily against her bottom lip and drag the soft flesh down. As his thumb slipped from her lip, he replaced it with his mouth, letting his tongue taste the papaya he had just fed her.

The hammock swayed as they kissed, shifting to get into a more comfortable position where they were laying side by side. Henry’s hand slipped inside Nora’s bikini bottom and he held her close. Their kisses were as languid as the jungle air, warm and close and increasingly humid. Nora loved being wrapped in his embrace like this. Tucked against his chest she could feel his heartbeat and the chest hair that still fascinated her and one hand was free to caress his face or tangle in his curls or scratch against his growing beard. He hadn’t shaved since their wedding and she was learning how different three days of stubble felt against her skin as opposed to a week and a half. The kisses were like wine, rich and full and leaving her dizzy and relaxed and with a growing need to move.

Somehow they got out of the hammock without letting go of each other and Henry carried her over the threshold into their room. He hadn’t let her enter their rooms by herself the entire time they’d been in Belize. Sometimes he put her down right inside the door, but this time, like usual, he carried her to their bed, brushing aside the netting and putting her down in the middle of a bed as fluffy as a meringue pie.

He shed his shorts before climbing onto their bed and slowly untied the pistachio ice cream colored ties to her bottoms while kissing her stomach, licking and rubbing against the lines of her hip and the soft skin where it gave way to her swimsuit. When the ties were finally undone, he caught one in his teeth and grinned up at her as he tugged it down.

Nora giggled and then shivered as her body broke out in tingles all over at the sight of his dark hair and his bright eyes looking up at her from between her legs, her swimsuit dangling from his teeth before he tossed it aside. She’d never admitted to him what a weakness she had for his slightly irregular teeth, for the incisors that were just a bit pointier than normal, and the way that they felt on her skin. With that grin and the laughing hunger in his eyes, she felt like she was about to get devoured by a wild animal.

The feeling was appropriate because he did devour her, but it was an epicurean devouring. He licked and tasted and suckled slowly, savoring every part of her. Up and down, side to side, mouthing her labia, plunging his tongue inside her and drawing out her response, lapping at her clit. He teased and tasted until Nora couldn’t wait any longer. She dug her fingers into his curls and held him steady as she lifted her hips, positioning his mouth right where she wanted it. Henry wrapped his arms around her hips and pressed against her stomach, holding her steady so that he could concentrate all his attention on the swollen bundle of nerves that was screaming for his touch. Her heels rubbed against his back as she squirmed and each of his moans vibrated through her, causing her own response to grow louder. He could feel the telltale trembling of her stomach under his hands and increased the speed of his tongue over her clit, knowing the exact spot and touch that would make her see fireworks.

Her foot slipped down his back and then dug in, holding her stock still, her hips lifted like an offering to a god and he took all that she could give him, licking as she couldn’t breathe, sucking as her legs trembled, kissing as she collapsed back down on the bed, the echoes of his name fading away.

He kissed his way up her stomach, pausing to knead her breasts and lick her nipples. They were already puckered but he could never resist the way they stood up and begged for more attention. Her arms always broke out in gooseflesh if he spent more than a few seconds lavishing them with the love they deserved.

Nora kept her hands in his hair, endlessly fascinated by the feel of his curls slipping between her fingers. When he finally kissed his way up her throat and made it to her lips, she could barely taste herself on them, though she could smell her aroma on his beard. She pushed him over onto his back and began her own slow exploration of his body. Her hands stroked over his shoulders and down his arms. She linked her fingers with his as she kissed down his chest. She rubbed her cheeks against the hair, kissed his sternum, ran wet circles around his nipples with the tip of her tongue. Nora loved listening to the change in his breathing, the soft gasps of pleasure, the way she could feel him groan as she swiveled her hips, catching his cock between her wet folds and then sliding back and forth like she was rowing crew.

Henry adored the way she could only tease him so long before she gave in to her own teasing. He hissed a breath between his teeth as she wrapped her fingers around his slick cock and stroked it twice before positioning it just where she wanted it. He grabbed her hip with his free hand and kept her steady as she sank onto him. Their joined fingers tightened as he thrust upward, driving home the final few inches to be fully seated within her.

His arms closed around her back as she began to move, pulling her down into a kiss. One hand settled on her ass, grasping the soft curve and keeping her moving as they drowned in each other’s caresses. Nora moaned against his lips every times she rocked back onto his cock, grinding her clit against his thatch of dark curls, and Henry felt the heat burning in his groin, lighting a long fuse that would inevitably end in his own fireworks.

Nora braced her hand against Henry’s chest and sat up, wanting to ride him to her heart’s content. Henry didn’t mind the change in position; watching her move over him was breathtaking and he loved the way her breasts stood out from her body and the way her hair fell in waves down her back. Her eyes were closed and she was lost in her own movements, chasing the pleasure that was twining around her. Bits of sunlight filtered through the thatched roof and glinted on the gold in her hair. He raised his hands to her breasts, relishing the weight of them in his hands for a moment before he began to knead and squeeze, tugging her nipples and adding to the ecstasy bubbling up within his wife.

Even with her eyes closed, Nora could tell that Henry was getting close. His groans hit a lower register, his breathing took on a strangled note, his hands became less gentle and more insistent. The gentle rocking of his hips became rougher, and she could feel him swell, becoming somehow even thicker as he moved within her. She slid her hand from her stomach to her clit, her fingers instantly taking up their favored position. Smoother than Henry’s tongue, they moved with a focused intensity right where she needed them.

Henry dropped his eyes from her face and breasts to watch her touch herself. It sent lightning coursing through him and the muscles in his thighs spasmed. He bit his bottom lip, using the sharp stab of sensation to keep himself in check. She just needed a few more seconds. They way her moans had turned into pleading gasps made that obvious. Just a few more seconds. They stretched like taffy as she rode him, speeding towards a finish line only she could see.

He could see when she crossed it, though. He saw the way her back arced, the way her eyes squeezed shut, the beautiful o of her mouth as it dropped open. That was his cue. He gave in to the way her body clenched around him, adding the snap of his hips against her ass to the sound of her squealing cry of delight. She took him, everything he had to offer her, and demanded even more. He couldn’t give her just his body. He gave her his heart all over again.


	11. Shirts and Selfies

The writers were huddled at the other end of the large circle of tables, giving Henry and the rest of the cast a small break from the read-through as they compared notes on how the first half had gone. He pulled his mobile out to check messages. There were several waiting for him, but the picture and text from Nora took priority over anything else.

Her hair was a mess. That was the first thing he noticed when he looked at the picture. The long gold flecked waves fell in her face in a wild cascade that still bore the marks of his fingers. He could see the smile in her eyes since her mouth was hidden by her cup of coffee. The white collar of his button down stood out in crisp contrast against her tanned collarbones. It was unbuttoned and the picture extended down just far enough that he could catch a glimpse of orange lace cupping her breasts. “Thanks for letting me borrow your shirt. I hope you weren’t _too_  late.”

He covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile and caught a wisp of her scent on his fingers. Her kissing him good bye this morning had turned into a quickie that had morphed into a not so quickie and ended up with him needing a new shirt because the one he was wearing had been wrinkled beyond redemption. He could still feel her nail marks on his lower back. “I got here before the director. That’s all that matters. I’m taking my shirt back when I get home.”

He was flipping through the rest of his messages when his phone vibrated in his hand. He tapped the new message and was treated with another picture of his wife. This time she was blowing a kiss to the camera. His shirt had slipped off of one freckled shoulder, revealing the strap of her bra as she held it closed in front of her. Her hand gripped the white fabric in just the right place to frame a shadowed glimpse of her cleavage. “Don’t speed!”

His attention was pulled back to the script as the director called for everyone to regroup. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, finding his jeans to be a bit tighter than they had been a few minutes earlier. He would be speeding on the way home. He probably wouldn’t run any red lights, but he definitely would be speeding.


	12. Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zack is Zack Snyder, the director of the Superman movies.

As the film progressed, Henry spent more and more time watching Nora and less time with his eyes on the screen. Something was obviously wrong because she was sitting in her own chair instead of cuddling with him but he wasn’t sure what it was. Not even undoing another button on his shirt had enticed her to slide over and join him. She was sitting in her chair with her legs drawn up to her chest resolutely watching the film. He’d counted her breathing and it was slow and steady so she wasn’t panicking about anything; she just wasn’t happy.

He finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Can I get you something, Nora? A cookie? Some chocolate maybe?”

Her green eyes were barely visible under her heavy lashes as she squinted at him. “Why would I want chocolate?”

“You’re due for your period in a few days. I just thought that whatever’s upsetting you might be dealt with easier if you had some chocolate.”

“That is the most  _sexist_  thing I have…” Her voice trailed off and her head sunk onto her knees. “Yeah, some chocolate might be nice,” she muttered.

Henry bit back his smile as he paused the film and went to the small kitchen in the back of the theater. He got out one of her favorite chocolate bars and two cold beers before going back and rejoining his wife. He handed her the opened beer before tearing open the wrapper that always gave her fits and handing over her chocolate.

Settling back in his chair, he sipped his own beer and waited. Nora bit off a mouthful of the dark chocolate and let it melt in her mouth. She slowly relaxed, leaning back in her chair and letting her legs drop down.

After her second bite of chocolate had melted away and she had taken a drink of her beer, Henry asked, “So what’s wrong, sunshine?”

She scraped her thumbnail over the label on her beer, picking at the puckering paper. “Why do you think something is wrong?”

“Well, first off you’re sitting all the way over there instead of in my lap where you belong.” She ducked her head in response but he could still see the blush and smile on her face.

He undid another button on his shirt and pulled the sides apart. “Does this help?”

She darted a look at him and giggled. “Maybe.”

“C’mere, love.” He held out his arms to her and she took one more swig of her beer before she reached for him and he pulled her into his lap. Once she was comfortable with her head resting on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, he lightly kissed her forehead. “Now, how do I help you smile again?”

He heard her breath hitch and then start again a bit faster than before. He didn’t say anything more but waited patiently as her fingers nervously worried his chest hair. “I was thinking…” she finally said.

“About?” he prompted when the silence stretched out interminably.

“I, um, well…” She made a sound of frustration and covered her face in her hands. Henry stroked her hair and waited. He really had no idea what could have her this worked up.

“I, well, so like my period should start in a few days and I don’t want to go back on birth control after,” she hurried out the words and then squeezed her eyes shut.

Henry began to grin. “Is this that you want to go back to using condoms, or you don’t want us to use any birth control at all?” He didn’t want to get ahead of himself.

“None at all,” she whispered. Her eyes were still shut.

 _My sweet girl,_  he thought as he gazed on her face. His hand cradled the back of her head and tilted her face up so he could kiss her. With a reverence he had never felt before he brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes fluttered open long enough to see him smiling at her and they sank shut once more. He kissed her again and her hand slid up from his chest to wrap around the back of his neck. They exchanged soft sweet caresses until he felt no more tension in her back as he stroked her.

“Nora,” he said softly, not wanting to disturb the warm cocoon that wrapped around them, “why were you so worried about telling me that?”

“I’ve seen your schedule and you’re shooting Superman movies for like the next twelve years or something and I couldn’t find any large enough blocks of time where I felt like I could aim for in getting pregnant and give it a few months to take just to be safe and know I wouldn’t be interfering with your life.”

He sat them both up so he could have both of his hands free to cup her face. “Nora,  _you_  are my life. Superman is my job.”

“But I know that,” Her attempt to speak was muffled by a soft kiss.

“This is you,” he said and held up his hand, marking a line in the air over both their heads. “This is the children we will have.” He held up his other hand, an inch below the first. “And this is Superman.” The first hand dropped below the chair they were sitting in.

She looked down at his hand, peering over the edge of the seat to see it. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted…we haven’t really talked about babies at all since the wedding and I didn’t want to push if you had like, changed your mind or something.”

Henry laughed and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him again. One hand rested on the curve of her hip while the other one got lost in her hair. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to feel pressured. We’ve been married six months now,”

Nora interrupted with a smile. “Six months and three days.”

He smiled and nipped at her bottom lip. “Six months and three days now,” he corrected himself, “and I think this is perfect timing. And trust me,” he paused and shook his head as a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. When he continued talking his voice was rougher than before. “I will never change my mind about wanting to get you pregnant.”

Nora’s face reddened and she hid it against his throat for a moment.

“I can’t wait to watch you grow big and round with my child,” he paused for a moment and spread his hand over her stomach. “With our child.”

“And Zack won’t hate me?”

Henry shook his head. “He’ll be happy for us, and instead of a one-bedroom flat we’ll get a two bedroom house with a big kitchen and a garden, and we’ll figure it all out. Don’t worry, Nora.”

She snorted and Henry caught her face in his hand.

“Don’t worry,” he repeated slowly, his voice even deeper than usual. “Promise me you’ll try your best not to worry. We will figure everything out together.”

She gnawed on her lip as she stared into his eyes. He felt the slight tremble in her body as she thought and then she nodded. “I’ll try my best. We’ll figure it out together.”

“Now, were you actually watching the film earlier or should I start it over because you were so busy chasing the thoughts in your head in circles that you weren’t paying attention?”

Nora laughed and kissed the dimple on his chin. “Honestly, I have no idea what we were watching. But instead of the film, how about the hot tub?”

Henry stood up, keeping one arm wrapped around Nora, who helpfully wrapped her legs and arms around him, and grabbed their beers and her chocolate with his other hand.

“Hot tub and then bed,” he agreed as he carried her from the room. “And maybe a shower in between if this chocolate happens to get a little melted and messy.”

Nora didn’t say anything in response but since she was already kissing his throat, he took her silence as agreement. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d washed chocolate off of each other, and he was positive it wouldn’t be the last either.


	13. Stormclouds - Part One

Nora was lying on her stomach in bed, flipping through the latest issue of  _Bon Appetit._ Their room was dark except for the light of their two reading lamps. A little bit of moonlight came through the windows, and the breeze blew through the open doors. Henry’s hand rested on her back as he flipped through another script that his agent had forwarded to him. She got to the end of the magazine and looked over at him. He was still reading as his hand rubbed in idle circles over her nightgown and she reopened her magazine. The second time through was faster than the first. She finally shut it and asked, “Have you ever thought about what your characters would be like in bed?”

He marked his place in the script with a fingertip and looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Excuse me?”

She rolled over on her side and propped her head up on her hand. “Like, do you think Clark would be different in bed with Lois than if was with someone who only knew him as Superman?”

“I’ve never thought about it really.” He turned his attention back to the script.

“Do you think Clark’s a virgin?” she continued on. “I mean, he was hot; you know he was getting some somewhere. Maybe that waitress in that bar you smiled at.”

He kept his eyes fixed on the script as he answered her. “You’ve thought about this a lot.”

“Seriously though, I mean you’re the sexy drifter with a gorgeous smile and a heart of gold. You had to have had a few one-night stands along the way.”

“The comics really never went into that.”

“Do you think Clark would be more like first season Charles or second season Charles?”

He marked his place in the script again. “Brandon?”

“Or maybe fourth season with your mistress? First season Charles was a reprobate, but none of the women ever looked disappointed.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Why? It’s obvious from you kissing Lois that it’s not the first time you’ve ever kissed a girl, and that whole ‘only if you’re kissing a human’ line means you’ve hit on girls before.” She scrambled up into a sitting position and crossed her legs in front of her. “Kiss me like you’re Clark Kent.”

A muscle tensed in his jaw. “No.”

“What?”

He tossed the script to the side. “I’m not going to kiss you like I’m Clark Kent or Napoleon Solo or Charles Brandon or any of the other characters I’ve played.”

She blinked several time and wrinkles appeared in between her eyebrows. “Why not?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Because you’re married to  _me_.”

“Well, obviously.”

He grabbed her hand and shoved the ring in her face. “You promised to love me. Only  _me_.”

“I’m not in love with Clark Kent, Henry.”

“You just want to have sex with him.” His hand tightened on hers unconsciously and her skin started to go pale under his grasp.

She yanked her hand away from him and cradled it against her chest. “I thought it would be fun. You know, like roleplaying or something.”

“Why do you want me to be someone else? Am I lacking in some way? Am I not keeping you happy?” He tugged at his the neckline of his t-shirt like it was strangling him.

She hurriedly shook her head. “No, it’s not that at all.”

He ran his hand through his hair a few times. “Then why would you want me to act like someone else when we’re making love? Why am I not enough for you?

“That’s not what I said!”

“Then what are you saying when you ask me to be someone else when I kiss you?” he shouted.

“I just thought it would be fun! If you don’t want to, we won’t do it,” she yelled back.

“I don’t want to do it,” he gritted out.

“Obviously.” She climbed off the bed and stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Henry growled as he threw back the blankets and got out of bed. He found the door locked and rolled his eyes. “Nora, open the door.”

“No.”

“Nora, open the goddamn door.”

“No, I’m going to stay in here and think about kissing Clark Kent.”

His jaw twisted as he tried to keep from swearing. “I’m going to count to three.”

“Good for you.”

His hands clenched into fists and he forced himself to relax his fingers. Once the blood was flowing back to all of his digits, he took a deep breath. “Nora, please open the door.”

“Do you think he uses a lot of tongue? I think he uses a lot of tongue.”

“Nora, shut up and open the fucking door.” He waited and there was no sound, no sign of movement. “Fine, stay in there and fantasize about Clark Kent bending you over the counter and fucking you. But you better loosen up enough to get yourself off because I’m not going to screw you when you’ve gotten your knickers wet thinking about someone else.”

“Henry!”

“Yes, I’m Henry, not Clark, and I can’t just fuck you like you’re simply a hole for my cock and not the woman I love. I’m not that good of an actor.” He slammed his fist against the bathroom door and stormed out of the room.

When Nora came out of the bathroom several minutes later, he was nowhere to be seen. She searched the house for him, opening room after room but he was gone. Finally she checked the garage. His car was gone as well. She carefully shut the garage door and tried to keep breathing.


	14. Stormclouds - Part Two

Nora watched the phone flashing with Henry’s picture on it. She didn’t know whether to answer it or chuck it out the window. He’d been gone almost three hours now and she had fretted the entire time. Finally, just before it went to voicemail, she answered it. “Hello.”

“Did I wake you?”

“No.”

“I need to ask a favor.”

“What is it?”

“I stopped to fuel up my car and I realized that I left my wallet at home.”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t storm out in a temper tantrum.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t lock yourself in the bathroom in a temper tantrum.”

Nora didn’t respond and her thumb hovered over the end call button. She couldn’t make herself push it though.

Henry finally said, “I’m sorry to do this to you, but I need you to bring me my wallet.”

“Can’t I just read you the number off your credit card?”

“Let me check.”

She listened to a muffled conversation for a minute or so.

“He says he has to have the card to make the transaction.”

“Fine, where are you?”

His answer was so soft she barely heard him.

“Did you say Maricopa?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never heard of it. Is that a bar?”

“No, head north on the 101, go through Ventura, take a right on 33–,”

“Hold on, I need to write this down.” She grabbed a sheet off the pad she kept on the fridge. “Okay, 101 to the 33, and then what?”

“Drive about two hours until you get to Maricopa.”

She waited for him to laugh like he usually did when making a joke but there was no laughter forthcoming. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Again she didn’t respond.

“Are you still there?” he finally asked.

“Don’t you have people who can do this for you?”

“Do you really want me calling my agent and having him come pick me up at a gas station in Maricopa in my pyjamas so he can tell all his other clients about that one time Henry got in a fight with his wife?”

She rubbed tiredly at her forehead. The adrenaline that had been fueling her for the last several hours was fading now that she knew he wasn’t dead or permanently abandoning her. “You didn’t put clothes on before you left?”

“No. I’m sitting at a gas station in a town that looks like the long abandoned set of a John Wayne movie in my pyjamas.”

“Fine. I will come get you. However, I’m going to put clothes on and make myself some coffee first. See you in a few hours.”

The drive took almost three hours and Nora spent the time ricocheting between anger, sadness, and irritation. By the time she got to Maricopa, the sun was starting to rise, the caffeine was wearing off, her bladder was screaming, and she had settled into a mess of frustration. The highway she was on crossed another highway in a t- junction and a ramshackle assortment of buildings hunkered around the intersection. There was one gas station, a Shell that looked like the only building that had seen a paint of coat in the last thirty years, and she pulled in to the gravel parking lot but didn’t see Henry’s car anywhere. She was about to pull back out on the highway to see if there was another gas station when she saw his sports car parked behind the station. He must have decided to get some sleep while he waited.

Nora pulled up next to him facing the opposite direction and honked her horn. She bit her cheek to keep from smiling as he sat his chair up. His hair was a mess and he was rubbing the sleep from his eyes with both hands. She rolled down her window and he got out of his car. She held his wallet out to him but he squatted down next to her car door without taking it.

“Thank you for rescuing me.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I could just leave you out here. I don’t supposed there’s a Starbucks around here anywhere, is there?”

“I think this is it.”

“Great. Gas station coffee.” She held out the wallet again and this time he took it. Without saying anything else she rolled up the window and pulled back around to the gas pump. She was just putting the nozzle in the gas tank when he pulled up next to her on the other side of the pump. “Keep an eye on this for me, would you? I need to pee and get some coffee.”

“Will you get me one while you’re in there? So I don’t have to go in there like this?”

She looked at him in his faded t-shirt, striped pyjama pants that had a fly with a tendency to gap, and flip-flops. The disheveled hair only added to the aura of dispirited hobo as he stood next to his car in the grey light of dawn.

“Yeah, I’ll get you a cup.”

She came back out a few minutes later carrying two cups of coffee and a plastic bag. She handed him one of the cups. “I got some snacks too. Not a huge selection but at least it’s food.”

Henry looked in the bag and took the box of doughnuts and the beef jerky, leaving her with the muffins and a Snickers bar.

Nora opened her car door and Henry grabbed the top of it. “Can we talk?”

She fiddled with the lock to keep from looking at him. “Not here, Henry. Not now.”

“Please?”

“I’m still too angry and hurt and upset to have a rational discussion about what happened.”

Henry let go of her car and tried to shove his hands in his pockets but he didn’t have any. “After we get home then.”

She hugged her hoodie closer around her. “When I’ve gotten some sleep and don’t feel like swearing or crying.”

“All right, then.” He bent to kiss her and she gave him her cheek. He brushed his lips against her face and then tipped her face up to see his with a gentle touch under the chin. “I am so sorry for hurting you.”

“Yeah,” she sniffed back the tears that had decided to make a sudden appearance. “So am I, but that doesn’t really fix things on either side.”

“We’ll fix it.”

She blinked a few times and her lashes became dark and wet.

“We’ll fix it, Nora.” He carefully kissed the one tear that had managed to escape onto her cheek.

Nora rocked on her feet, yearning to hug him, or more correctly for him to hug her and hold her safe against his chest, but she knew that if she did that she’d start crying and not stop for hours. Instead she patted his shoulder a few times and kissed him on the cheek before she got back into her car.

She was a few miles out of town when she saw him coming up behind her in her rear-view mirror. She waited for him to pass her but he dropped speed and stayed behind her. She slowed down and so did he. She sped up and he matched her again. With a rueful smile she put the car back on cruise control. He was going to stay with her on their journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be at least one more part to the Stormclouds story arc.


	15. Stormclouds - Part Three

Neither of them spoke when they got home. Nora stripped off her clothes as she walked to the bedroom, dropping them as she went. She headed straight into the bathroom and shut the door. A few minutes later she came out and went into her closet as Henry went into the bathroom. He threw his clothes in the hamper and got in the shower. By the time he came out, she was in bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. He pulled on a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants before squatting down by her and gently stroking her hair. “Nora?”

She opened her eyes and looked at him blankly.

“Do you want me to sleep in here or in the guest room? I don’t know which would be better for you.”

She closed her eyes again. “You can sleep in here.”

“Thank you.”

He went around to his side of the bed and as he pulled back the blankets to get into bed, he saw that Nora was wearing one of her old nightgowns. She’d gotten in the habit of wearing a simple chemise to bed in the last year but this one he hadn’t seen since long before their wedding. It covered her down to her ankles and wrists and if he remembered correctly it was flannel. He slid into bed and pulled the blankets back up, making sure she was covered completely. It felt weird to lie next to her and not hold her, but he thought the last thing she would want right now was his affection.

He had almost drifted off to sleep when he heard a soft whisper. “You left me.”

His eyes snapped back open. “I’m sorry.”

“You said you’d never leave me and you got mad and you left and I didn’t know if you were ever coming back.”

How had he not realized how she would have interpreted him going out for a drive until he was calmer, until he had figured out how to explain what had been going on in his head? “I’m so sorry, Nora.”

“And you didn’t even call to let me know you were safe. You called because you had forgotten your wallet, and I don’t know now when or if you would have ever called me. Like, if you had taken your wallet with you would I even have heard from you by now?”

He rolled over on his side and reached for her but stopped short of touching her. She was curled up in the fetal position, hugging herself tightly, completely covered from him. What right did he have to try and offer her comfort when he was the one who had caused the pain? “I would have called you. I promise.”

“You promised me before you would never leave and you did.” Her shoulders quivered. “Everybody leaves me.” The last words were whispered and he couldn’t help himself; he pulled her into his arms.

He cupped her face with one large hand and gazed into her face, into green eyes that were drowning under a flood of pain. “I’ll never do that again. If we ever fight again and if I need to cool down I’ll go in the guest house or punch stuff downstairs or something. I’ll never leave when we’re mad at each other again.”

The sob that ripped its way out of her throat shattered his heart and he pulled her even tighter, tucking her head against his chest. “I’m so sorry, Nora,” he repeated over and over as she cried. The force of her sobbing made her body shake and he held her as close as possible, stroking her hair and back and whispering words of comfort and reassurance. He’d broken his word to her and in so doing, he’d broken her heart and nothing in his life had ever hurt as much as this moment right now, realizing how much he had damaged her tender soul and the trust she had in him.

Eventually the sobbing turned into sniffles and she snaked her hand under his shirt and combed her fingers into the hair on his chest. Her breathing slowly returned to normal and he kept up the soothing touches on her back until she was sound asleep, tucked against his chest with her hand over his heart. He felt like a fraud as he held her and the demons of his own creation finally chased him into an exhausted sleep.

Henry woke several hours later. Nora was still sleeping in his arms and he held her until both his stomach and bladder made their needs known. He carefully detangled himself and tucked his pillow against her so he still had something to hold while she slept. The dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced against the white pillowcase.

When he finally made it to the kitchen, the effects of him leaving were obvious. The table was covered with crumpled tissues. Her bottle of anxiety medication was knocked over and pills were spilled across the counter and onto the floor. There was a white onion sitting on a cutting board, half chopped into erratically sized pieces. Next to it was an unwrapped block of cheese that had started to harden from being out so long. A bowl surrounded by a dozen egg shells sat by the sink, and when he picked up the bowl he saw three broken yolks inside it and a sprinkling of shell fragments. He put the bowl in the sink and turned on the water to rinse out the congealed eggs. The lid was off of the cookie jar. He reached inside to get a cookie before he put the lid back on but his hand touched the bottom. He looked inside just to make sure but it was indeed empty. It had been half full when he’d gotten one before bed last night. He put the lid back on the jar, rubbed his hands over his face, and started to clean up.

He could hear his mom scolding him like he was five years old and telling him that he needed to think about the consequences of his actions while he scrubbed every surface with surgical preciseness. When the kitchen was spotless to Nora’s standards, he got a beer from the fridge and went and sat on the edge of the pool and dangled his feet in the water. His mind turned again to what he had done and said to the sleeping woman upstairs and he began to cry.


	16. Stormclouds - Part Four

Henry was reading the same script from the night before when Nora finally joined him, curling up on the other end of the sofa with her legs crossed in front of her so she was facing him.

“Do you have time to talk now or are you busy?”

Henry put the script down and turned to her. “We can talk.”

They both looked at each other awkwardly, not sure how to start.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” Henry finally started. “I wasn’t thinking about how that would come across and I didn’t mean to hurt you or give you a panic attack.”

“I noticed you cleaned up the kitchen. Thank you.” She rolled her beer bottle between her palms. “And I’m sorry for locking myself in the bathroom and pushing your buttons. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t understand why you did that.”

“Me either really. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was mad at you and scared and you had hurt my hand and yelled at me –,”

“I hurt your hand?” He reached for her and then stopped.

“When you grabbed it.” She hugged it to her chest again. “Sometimes I don’t think you realize how strong you are.”

“My god, Nora. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She stared at her lap, letting her hair shield her from his gaze. “I don’t understand why you got so mad. I was just trying something new.”

Henry let his head fall back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling. “Because you wanted someone else,” he finally said.

“But it’s you. It’s your characters.”

He shook his head. “There’s a difference between the two.” Nora watched as he took a deep breath and then let it out. Even after him trying to relax she could see the tightness in his shoulders as they hunched in. “My first really big break was _The Tudors._ And the first episode has me banging a girl, arse-naked. All of a sudden my life was different. People recognized me. _Girls_ recognized me. And I went from being Fat Cavill to Charles. It was so easy to get laid all of a sudden, but they made it obvious they wanted Charles. Some of them actually called me Charles in bed. It wasn’t about me being me. They didn’t care about me. They wanted the fantasy.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. And then Superman’s made it worse. Fan pictures with me and they’ll caption them, ‘I met Superman.’”

“Instead of ‘I met Henry Cavill.’”

“Right. Even Halla. She told me she had named one of her vibes Charles. It’s all about a fantasy.”

“And then I asked to kiss Clark Kent.”

He sat up and looked at her. “You have to understand, Nora. When I met you, that first day I thought you were just going to be a pretty distraction until I left for filming. And then we had dinner together and I started falling for you hard. You were pretty and funny and sweet and charming and shy and I wanted to make you comfortable enough that you could actually look me in the eyes when you talked to me.”

She smiled and looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “I started falling for you that night too. You were so patient with me.”

“You’d made a joke about my producers controlling my diet, so I figured you were a fan. And that night I realized that you didn’t know me at all.”

“I’d seen a couple interviews with you after word spread that you’d moved to the lake. I remember the face you made talking about a coconut milk smoothie.” She blushed. “It’s pretty close to the face you make when you orgasm.”

“You’re better than a coconut milk smoothie, sunshine.”

Nora smiled and shook her hair so it was hanging in her face. Henry scooted across the sofa and tucked her hair back.

“It was so nice to know that there was a girl out there that was interested in me. Not Charles. Not Clark or Superman, but me.”

“How could I have been interested in your characters? I hadn’t actually seen anything you’d been in at that point.”

“Exactly. And then you told me off for how I acted in The Narrows and you made it clear to me that I had to earn you. I hadn’t had to earn a girl in years.”

She ducked her head again. “I was still planning on dying at that point. It’s easy to not care about someone when you don’t plan on being around much longer.”

He carefully took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “But you stuck around.”

“Yeah. I fell in love with you.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “I had something to live for again.”

They sat together quietly for a minute.

“Remember the day you tried to kill me on the lake?”

Nora laughed and poked him in the shoulder. “I didn’t try to kill you.”

He grinned but it quickly faded as he talked. “You took me out kayaking into a Santa Ana wind. And you broke me. You made me realize that there were physical things I wasn’t good at. I honestly expected you to break up with me in the boathouse.”

“Why would I have done that?”

“Because I wasn’t good enough.”

She snorted. “At something I’d been doing for like 15 years and you had no experience at.”

“I know it doesn’t make sense. But that’s how I’ve felt my whole adult life. Never quite good enough. I was almost Superman the first time and they cast Brandon Routh. I was almost James Bond, but they cast Daniel Craig. I was the second choice. And then when I finally did hit it big I found myself being second choice to my characters. They still didn’t want Henry. They wanted Superman, bigger than life, stronger than life, perfect. Not like me. I’m not perfect, and no matter how hard I work at it, I won’t be perfect.”

She cupped his jaw in the palm of her hand. “I don’t want perfect, Henry. I want you.”

“But you asked for Clark.”

His voice sounded like he was coming down with a cold and there were tears welling in his eyes. Nora’s gaze faltered and fell to her lap. “Because I don’t want you get getting bored of me,” she whispered.

Henry carefully lifted her face so they were eye to eye again. “Do you think I’m bored of you?”

“I’m not the most adventurous person in bed. We’ve been having sex for over two years now. You’ve got to be getting bored of what I’ve brought to the table.”

He shook his head and smiled. “I’m not bored with you, Nora. I love our love life. I have no complaints at all.”

He could bring her face up to his but she still struggled to meet his eyes. “People say that it gets old and boring and you have to spice it up.”

“You play with spices all you want in the kitchen, sunshine. You are perfect in the bedroom.”

“Really?”

He answered her with a kiss. “You are perfect for me, darling. If you _want_ to do a little roleplaying, for fun and not because you think I’m bored, I can be the sexy fireman and I have to rescue you, or you can be the hot doctor and I’ll be the patient, then we can totally do that. But when you ask for one of my characters, it makes me feel like I’m in a nightclub getting hit on by strangers. You know _me_ , you know Henry, and I want to know…I _need_ to know that I’m enough for you, Nora.”

“You’re enough for me, Henry. I love you, not Clark or Charles or any of the rest of them. I love you.”

“That night we went kayaking and I was horrible at it, you didn’t break up with me and I was so surprised by that. And later that night, we were kissing on the sofa and you straddled my lap for the first time, and I realized that you really didn’t care that I wasn’t good at something. You were content with just me, without the special effects and CGI and costumes. It was the first time in my adult life that I felt…” He stopped and struggled for the words. “You made me feel good enough. Like I could be myself and it was going to be okay. That Henry wasn’t going to be a disappointment for you because you had this fairy tale of Superman in your head.”

Nora crawled into his lap and straddled his thighs, just like she had that night. She kissed him and his hands ran down her back and cupped her bum and brought her close against him. “You are my fairy tale, Henry,” she said softly, her lips almost touching his skin. “You are my Prince Charming and my happily ever after. I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were feeling like that.”

“It’s not your fault; I’d never told you about it. I don’t like talking about my hang-ups.”

She settled back on his thighs so she could see his entire face. “Well, maybe next time I start poking a sensitive spot you can just say something like ‘huckleberry’ and I’ll stop. Like an emotional safe word.”

A grin quirked the corner of his mouth. “What do you know about safe words, sunshine?”

She blushed and looked down again. “I’ve been reading. I told you. I don’t want to bore you.”

He nuzzled her face until he lifted it enough for him to kiss. “You don’t bore me, love.”

“And you’re all I need and want, Henry. Just you.” She kissed him again.

Several sweet and gentle minutes later, Henry finally said. “So, I’ll say ‘huckleberry’ and you’ll stop and I’ll man up and tell you about my issues instead of yelling.”

Nora nodded. “And I’ll not deliberately try to piss you off just because I’m mad and scared and lashing out.”

“And I’ll be much more careful about how I touch you. I’m so sorry I hurt you.” He kissed her hand again.

Her eyelashes fluttered. “I’m sorry I made you doubt my love for you, Henry.”

“I know you love me. And I love you. And hopefully we won’t ever fight again. But if we do, I’ll stay in the house.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him and he held her close. “Are we okay?” she asked softly.

“Yes. We’re okay.”

“Good.” She stayed in his arms a few minutes more before climbing off his lap. “Now, I’ll let you finish that script and I’m going to go make cookies.”

He smiled and she kissed him one more time before leaving the room. A minute later she stuck her head back in.

“Henry?”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Yes?”

“If I’m the doctor does that mean I get to examine your entire body?”

He laughed and nodded.

She blushed and then giggled. “I’m going to have to remember that.” And she was gone again.

 _Fin._  


	17. Rude Awakenings

Nora crawled across the bed and sprawled clumsily over Henry’s sleeping body. He sleepily patted her hair as he tried to wake up and had almost managed to get one eye open when he felt something cold and wet dribbling down his side. He lurched into a sitting position, knocking Nora awry and further spilling her beer over the bed.

He grabbed the bottle before any more was added to the growing puddle. “What the  _hell_ , Nora.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She didn’t bother moving from how she had landed, awkwardly lying askew with her hair in her face.

Henry put the beer bottle on the nightstand and looked at the clock. “It’s barely even six in the morning. Why are you drinking?”

“Because I suck.” Her hair got in her mouth and she tried fruitlessly to spit it out. Finally she wiped it away, managing to get it mostly out of her face, but smacking Henry in the stomach as she dropped her arm.

“You do not suck.” He bent over to kiss her and she shook her head.

“I totally and completely suck.”

Henry winced as he caught a whiff of her breath. “Love, how much have you had to drink?”

Her eyes rolled back in her head and Henry thought she had passed out for a second until he saw her wiggling her fingers. She was trying to count. “Four,” she finally said. “I was gonna say five but that one doesn’t count since I spilled it.”

“Why are you drunk at six in the morning?”

“Because I only woke up an hour ago. If I’d woken up at  _three_ , I would have been drunk at _four_  in the morning.”

“Nora.”

“Henry,” she repeated with a perfect mimicking of his inflection and started giggling.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair as he listened to her say, “Henry” again and giggle even more.  “Henry,” she mocked one more time, her voice getting more and more ridiculous.

“Should I let you sleep it off and you can tell me what’s going on later?”

Her entire face immediately contorted into a pathetic frown. “My period started.”

Henry let out a sigh of understanding. “I’m sorry, sunshine.” He used the sheet to wipe the beer off of his chest and then tugged the wet blankets out from under her before pulling her into a cuddle on the dry side of the bed.

He was fairly certain she had fallen asleep until she entwined her fingers with his. “I was so sure I was pregnant this time. My breasts were so sensitive,” she said quietly.

“Maybe because you kept poking them to see if they were sensitive or not.”

“I can feel my period mocking me.”

He kissed her on the forehead and stroked her back. “I’m pretty sure that’s just cramps.”

She fell quiet again. After a few minutes, he felt wetness trickle onto his chest, but this time it was hot. With a gentle push he rolled her over enough so he could look in her face and wipe away her tears.

“Do you think God is punishing me?”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “For what?”

“Using Plan B.”

“No. No I don’t.” He shook his head firmly. “I think we’ve only been trying for three months and you shouldn’t be worried about this.”

Her fingers stroked over his chest restlessly. “But what if I can’t get pregnant?”

“Then we’ll adopt.”

She wiped the back of her hand against her cheek. “And you’ll still love me?”

“Of course.” He tipped her face up so she was looking at him and not his chest. “Regardless of how our children come to our family, I will always love you.”

“I really want to be a mom.”

“I know. It’s one of the things I love about you. And you will be.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

She sniffed one more time and then burrowed into his side. Henry pulled up a dry section of the blanket and wrapped both of them in it and Nora quickly fell asleep with Henry’s warmth having its usual soporific effect on her. Henry kissed the top of her head one more time and left his mouth pressed to her hair to hide the frown he could feel fighting to get out. He had been sure that this month had been the one as well. 


	18. Matches

Nora rooted through her backpack looking for the matches. She was positive she had packed them in the outside left bottom pocket, but they weren’t there. All the other pockets turned up lacking too and she dumped the main section out on their sleeping bags in a last attempt to find them. They’d spent five hours out on the water today and both of them were going to be unhappy if they didn’t have a fire and hot food to end their day of canoeing.

She sighed and brushed the loose wisps of hair out of her face. The air already had a chill to it as the sun had slipped behind the distant mountains to the west. If she had accidentally left the matches at home, they were going to be sitting in the dark soon. Maybe she’d accidentally stuck them in Henry’s pack.

She crawled over to it and unzipped the outside left bottom pocket and rifled through it. She didn’t find the matches, but what she did find sent a deeper chill through her heart than the darkening air.

Nora climbed out of the tent. The creeping shadows of the trees fell over the fire pit where Henry was adjusting the last few pieces of wood. “Do you have the matches?” he asked.

“I can’t find them.”

“You checked your bag?”

“Of course I checked my bag. And when I couldn’t find them in mine I checked yours and I found these.” She held out a handful of condoms.

“Those must have been in there from before.”

“From when?”

He stood and brushed his hands off on his shorts. “I don’t know. I don’t really clean out my backpack between camping trips. They must have been in there a while though.”

“So you didn’t pack them especially for this trip?”

“Of course not. I can count to fourteen as easily as you.”

Nora nodded and climbed back into the tent. She dropped the condoms in the corner and unzipped another pocket on his backpack. Those matches weren’t going to find themselves, and she needed to keep looking, even if her fingers were trembling.

Henry pulled back the tent flap and saw the way her hands were shaking. “Nora?”

“Yeah?” She unzipped another pocket.

Henry crawled in and sat next to her but facing the opposite direction so he could see her face. “Did you think I packed those on purpose?”

She finished looking through the pocket and zipped it shut. “A little bit? Like, I know you say you want a baby, and I believe that, but there’s still part of me that worries you’re going to change your mom, I mean, change your mind like my mom.”

He brushed the back of his fingers against her arm. “It must be so hard to live with that fear all the time. You’re so strong for always fighting.”

She shook her head, partly in disagreement, partly to make her hair fall forward and veil her face from him. “I don’t feel strong. If I was strong I would have gotten over it by now.”

“You’re strong, Nora. So incredibly strong to keep fighting. Not every battle is won in a day or a year or ten years. But I’m sticking around and we’ll celebrate on the day you tell me you don’t worry about me leaving you anymore.”

“You think I’ll get there someday?” The fading light turned the green of her eyes almost black, but the darkness made it easier to see the doubt that still plagued her.

“I do. If this had happened a year ago, you wouldn’t have brought me the condoms and asked. You would have just put them back and fretted.”

A smile ghosted across her face and she zipped opened another pocket.

Henry kissed the soft skin of her neck and Nora stopped looking through the contents for the container of matches as his lips followed her sun-warmed skin down to the collar of her shirt. His tongue flicked out and Nora’s eyes sank shut. Henry’s hands slid under her shirt, skimming over her ribs, digging under the lycra and elastic of her sports bra to tease against the bottom curve of her breasts.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll never find the matches.” She was warning him, but the way her hand wrapped around his shoulder undercut the strength of her message.

He tugged her bra up, releasing her breasts and then cupping them in his palms. He squeezed as he licked his way up to her ear. “I’ll keep you warm.”

Both his touch and his voice were hot against her skin. Nora yanked off her shirt and bra as he was too preoccupied with her breasts and throat to take off any more of her clothes right now.

He used the seconds the shirt removed his hands from her skin to take off his own before pressing her back against the cool slippery fabric of their sleeping bags. She smelled like fresh air and the citrus in her sun screen, and her hair was rough and tangled from the wind as he smoothed it out of her face. He was never sure how she kept her hands so soft with all paddling she did, but they were tender on his back as she ran her fingers over muscles that were dully aching from their adventures today. He pressed his knee against her groin, making her whimper as he kept his lips just a fraction of an inch above hers, retreating as she lifted her mouth, her lips parting on a soft little whine. He pressed against her again, still teasing her lips with the barest touch, his hot breath fanning over her bottom lip as she pouted, begging wordlessly for him to take it between his lips.

Nora slid her hands inside the back of his shorts, kneading the curves of his bum the way he was fondling her breasts. Her hips lifted as she rubbed against his thigh, hooking her leg around the back of his knee so he couldn’t reduce the friction she was getting.

“You’re in a hurry,” he murmured against her lips, finally touching them.

She raked her nails against the curve of his ass and then quickly brought her hands around to the button on his shorts. “I’ve been watching you canoe all day, with your shirt pulling across your shoulders and back, and your muscles flexing, and getting to be with you and talk and hang out and no stress, and I’m a combination of horny and deeply in love.” She dipped her hand inside of his boxer briefs and slid her fingers over the hardening ridge of his cock. “Judging by this, I don’t think you’re particularly upset.”

Henry shook his head and then groaned softly as she gripped him and gently squeezed. “Remind me to take you camping more often, sunshine. You’re never quite as free-spirited as when you’re 100 miles away from everyone else.”

“I can’t embarrass myself if there’s no one around to see.” Her hand continued its stroking motions, feeling him stiffen against her palm. His eyes rolled back and then his eyelids sank closed as she rubbed him, her hips still moving against his thigh in the same rhythm as her hand sliding over his cock. She kissed along his jaw, listening to his breathing growing ragged as she pumped him teasingly. When the groan that came from him was deep enough that she felt it more than heard it, she licked the shell of his ear. “How long has it been since I told you how much I crave your cock?” she whispered.

His eyes flew open and he laughed as he saw the sparkle in her eyes. “You, my girl, are perfection.” He sat back on his knees and yanked at the fastenings on her shorts. “This is what we’re going to do. We are going to have ourselves some fun right now, and then we’ll find those matches, and then we’re going to spend the rest of the night making love under the stars. How does that sound?” His fingers hooked into the waist of her panties and tugged them down with her shorts, leaving her naked and splayed on their sleeping bags.

“I think that sounds perfect.”

He stood up and shoved down his shorts but then he stopped. His eyes closed for a moment as he stuck his hand in the pocket of his shorts and pulled out the container of matches.

Nora’s jaw sagged for a second and then she started laughing. One more worry he had dispelled for her. “Why were they in your shorts?”

“I grabbed them out of your pack while I was unloading the canoe because I knew I was going to gather wood and get the fire going while you set up the tent,” his cheeks flushed with color and he ran a hand through his hair, “and then I got distracted by those deer at the water’s edge and forgot.”

“Simultaneously thoughtful and forgetful. Quite a feat.” She giggled and he finished stripping down before rejoining her.

“Now, for my second act, I’m going to make you forget everything but my name.”

Her entire body broke out in a wave of goose bumps as his hands drifted up her sides and teased the curves of her breasts. “Your name,” her fingers curled around the back of his head and tugged him down for a kiss, “and how much I love you.”

“Do you love me, Nora?” His hand slid over her stomach and between her thighs, stroking and caressing her, readying her body for him with the same pleasure as he had received from her touches.

“More than anything, Henry.” Her lips brushed against his jaw and down his throat, kissing and licking, and with a freedom from scrutiny that they rarely enjoyed, she suckled at his collarbone, leaving a small purple mark on him, her own little act of possession to commemorate their week away from the world.

His hands skimmed down her legs and hooked them up around his hips as he pressed inside her. Nora whined as he took her, her body bowing as she lifted up to take more of him. They didn’t need any more words as they moved together. Kissing was more important, the constant closeness of watching each other from an inch apart, from lips that pulsed and throbbed, from breath that was a lover’s touch. Her hand in his hair, his hand on her breast, and only the whisper of the other’s name. The sun sank and darkness spread her spangled cloak over the sky, protecting them from the rest of the world, leaving just the two of them in their tent that they warmed with their bodies and their love.


	19. Eggs

Henry stared at the ceiling in the grey light of dawn. Nora lay stiffly at his side. She’d been awake for at least an hour now unmoving, breathing in and out with a regularity that meant she was counting each inhale and exhale. Finally, he rolled over on his side and pulled her into his chest. She stopped breathing for a moment and then curled against him, tucking one of her arms between them and draping the other over his waist.

Henry rested his chin on top of her head. “You going to take the test today?”

“Yes? Maybe?” She combed her fingers through the hair on his chest. “I’m scared.”

“Of?”

“Another negative.”

“What day are you on?” He knew which day she was on. Lately it seemed that the day of the month was counted by her cycle rather than the calendar.

“Thirty-one.”

“Have you ever gone that long before without getting your period?” He knew she hadn’t, but he wanted her to say it.

“No.”

“That’s a good sign, then.”

“I know. It’s just, what if I’m late?”

“Then we keep trying.”

“I’m tired of trying. It takes the fun out of sex.”

Henry squeezed her tighter. He knew what she meant, and he hated watching her light diminish by degrees with every two week wait and every negative test. He felt like he was failing an audition every month, but it shook Nora’s confidence in herself even more. “Well, I have a good feeling about this month. We had camping sex. If there was anything that would shake loose a little extra baby making magic for us, it would be sex in a tent.” He kept his voice light and confident. She didn’t need to hear the ache in his voice. He refused to add one more worry to her shoulders.

“Whoever decided that early pregnancy symptoms should be the same thing as PMS symptoms needs to be smacked upside the back of the head.”

“I’ll look into that for you.” His fingertips lazily stroked up and down her arm.

After a few minutes of resting snuggled into his chest, Nora bolted upright. “I’m going to do it.” She scrambled off of the bed and ran for the bathroom door. A few minutes later she came back out. “It’s on the counter. I can’t look at it. I’m going to go make breakfast and in a few minutes you go in there and look at it and then if I’m pregnant you can come tell me and if I’m not, just don’t say anything.  Five months of me saying not pregnant are enough. I don’t want you to have to say it, too.”

She kept walking as she was talking and by the time she was finished she was out the bedroom door on the way to the kitchen. Henry counted up to sixty in his head and then back down before throwing the blankets back and swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. The carpet felt like it sucked at his feet as he crossed the bedroom, and his stomach twisted like a rollercoaster as he opened the bathroom door to see the pregnancy test lying face down on the counter. His hand trembled as he reached for the plastic stick, hesitated and then flipped it over. Tears stung his eyes as he stared at the results window, and he rubbed his hand over his eyes and then against his quivering jaw.

Nora cracked eggs into a red bowl as Henry stepped into the kitchen. Neat piles of diced tomato, onion and bell pepper sat on the cutting board next to her. She darted a glance at him, saw his reddened eyes, and gripped the edge of the counter with both hands as her head sagged for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and plucked another egg from the carton. “Can you get me the cheddar out of the fridge?” Her voice only wavered a little.

Henry opened the fridge and shut it again.

Nora reached for the cheese and her hand closed around the object in Henry’s hand. It was too small to be the cheddar. Frustrated, she looked over to see what he had gotten out of the fridge and saw that he had handed her the pregnancy test. Her eyes flew to Henry’s face and the smile growing there and then dropped to the stick of plastic in her hand. The word ‘pregnant’ floated in the oval window. The egg dropped unheeded from her hand and shattered on the floor as she looked up at Henry again.

“Is this real?”

Henry nodded. “You’re pregnant, Nora.” He was almost laughing.

She gasped in a ragged breath and clapped her hand over her mouth as her gaze fell again to the test in her trembling hand. Henry watched her green eyes start swimming in tears and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed against his chest and he tightened his embrace.

“You’re pregnant, sunshine.”

She pulled back and stared at the test again before grinning up at her husband as the tears continued to fall. “We’re going to have a baby.”

He cradled her face in one hand and kissed her softly. “You’re going to be a mom, Nora. You’re going to be such a good mom.”

“I’m going to be a mom,” she whispered and pressed her hand to her stomach. “You can’t hear me yet, peanut, but I’m going to be your mom and I love you already and I will always,  _always_ love you.”

Henry pulled her back into his arms and held her long past the point that she had stopped crying. He needed to feel her happy again, completely and totally happy. She didn’t say anything but he could feel the happiness radiating from her like sunbeams.

After a few minutes, Nora jolted in his arms. “I peed on this and it’s in the kitchen!”

Henry laughed as she went running back down the hall to put the test in the bathroom and he grabbed a paper towel to clean up the egg on the floor. Being a mother would change some things about her, but other things would stay the same and no matter what changed, she would always be his sunshine.


	20. Appetites

Nora stared thoughtfully at the sleeping form of her husband for a while before giving in to the voices in her head and poking him in the arm. “Henry.”

He didn’t respond. Instead his bare chest continued to move up and down in peaceful slumber.

She poked him again and said his name a little louder.

“Mhhmmmmm?” He managed to raise an eyebrow part way but both eyes stayed closed.

“Henry, I need you to wake up.”

He yawned and then scrubbed the heel of his palm over his forehead. “What’s going on?” he said on another yawn.

“I’m horny.”

He cracked an eye open. “What time is it?”

“What does that matter? I’m horny!”

He tried to laugh but his tongue was stuck to his palate in a dry embrace. He slowly peeled his mouth open. “Alright, sunshine. I’m going to need a few minutes to wake up here.”

“Okay.” She pulled off her nightgown and tossed it aside before lying back down and snuggling into his side. She kissed his shoulder as her hand slid under the waistband of his boxer briefs. Her fingers crept down his happy trail as she kissed down his arm until he pressed a hand over hers, stopping its southward trek.

“I said a few minutes, love.”

Nora pulled her hand out of his shorts and flung herself onto her back with a dramatic sigh.

Henry laughed. “Let me go brush my teeth, okay?” He kissed her shoulder and got out of bed.

Nora watched him walk into the bathroom. “You have a cute butt,” she called after him.

“Thanks.” He yawned and shut the bathroom door.

When Henry came back out of the bathroom, the bed was empty. “Nora?” He looked around but the room was vacant as well. “Love?” he called louder.

Nora walked back into the bedroom, a pint of ice cream in her hand and a spoon in her mouth. “Hmm?”

Henry took a moment to appreciate the sight of his naked wife with her fuller breasts and rounded belly. When she’d first started to show, he’d been surprised at how sexy he found her pregnant body. Of course he’d enjoyed the increased size of her breasts before that, but something about her showing had affected him in ways he hadn’t anticipated. He’d actually started scrutinizing other pregnant women he saw to see if they had the same effect on him, but it was just his Nora. Being able to see that she was carrying his child made him want her even more than he normally did. She took another bite of ice cream and he grinned. He was definitely awake now. “You change your mind?”

“No, but I got hungry while I was waiting.”

“Can I have a bite?”

Nora clutched the ice cream to her chest. “No!”

Henry laughed. He hadn’t expected her to share. She didn't share food anymore. “I’ll just lie down and wait for you then.” He shed his boxer briefs and stretched out on his back, folded his hands behind his head and waited. One of the other things he enjoyed about Nora being pregnant was her new-found insatiability. It only took her two seconds to join him on the bed.

Henry yelped when she put the pint of ice cream on his stomach. “Fuck, Nora,” he got out before she took him in her mouth. He hissed and smacked the mattress like he’d just been pinned in a wrestling match to keep from thrashing away from the chill of her ice cream-laden tongue.  He panted, sounding more like a woman in labor than Nora ever would, as she ran her chilled tongue around the crown of his cock, but as the ice cream melted and her mouth warmed, his breathing took on a different tone. Nora hummed with satisfaction as he swelled in her mouth. She reached for the ice cream but Henry grabbed it first and set it firmly out of her reach. She let him fall from her mouth long enough to pout at him but then smiled and lapped at the head of his cock.

Henry groaned at the sight of her wickedly smiling green eyes as her tongue swiped over his most sensitive skin. She took a feline pleasure in rasping her tongue down the length of him and back up, tonguing his balls and feeling them pull up against his body, tracing the veins that had begun to throb. She added her hand, stroking his shaft, pulling back the foreskin enough to actually taste for his response. With a moan she sucked him into her mouth again and slid her lips up and down with teasing slowness over and over until he had become fully erect and his thighs were twitching with his barely restrained need to thrust.

Nora sucked upwards with a purposefully lewd noise before letting go with a loud pop. She figured she could put in a little extra effort with the showmanship as a thank you to Henry for getting up in the middle of night to satisfy her needs. She swung her leg over Henry’s hips and shimmied until she could feel him pressed up against her right where she wanted him. Her fingers scratched down his stomach as she sank onto his impatiently waiting shaft. Her eyes closed and her breath hissed out.

Henry let out a groan that she could feel vibrate through his body and into her thighs where they rested against his hips. He clutched her hips and lifted her and then pulled her back down as he surged upwards, thrusting deep into her, seating himself right where he wanted to be, buried in her wet heat. She gasped as he hit her g-spot and fell forward, bracing her hands on his chest to keep from toppling over. His hands slid from her hips to her back, smoothing up her warm skin until he was grasping her shoulders. He couldn’t wait any longer; he clasped her to his chest and began to pump into her.

Nora relished this feeling, wrapped up in his arms, skin on skin with the feel of his chest rising and falling under her. She kissed his throat, licking and nipping at the pulsing veins as she rolled her hips, keeping him angled just right so that she soon stopped kissing him and instead focused on the trailing lines of glowing heat that were emanating from her core. His hands shifted, one sliding up to clasp the back of her head as her moans moistened his skin with her steamy breath and the other sliding down to clasp one of her bum cheeks.

Together they moved, Henry’s lips pressed to her forehead as he ran through every distracting image he could think of in his head to keep from losing control. Nora began to whisper his name, each syllable in time with the motion of his hips. She squirmed in his grasp, spreading her legs further apart and grinding against his pelvis. Her clit rubbed against him and she squealed with the contact.

“That’s it, sunshine. You get what you need. You get  _exactly_  what you need,” he growled.

Nora kept swiveling her hips, riding him with a focused intensity she only felt in the moments before she came. The entire world disappeared, leaving behind just heat and touch and sound. The way his fingers dug into her flesh but also gently cradled her head. The sound of his labored breathing and the feel of his lips dry against her forehead. The warmth of him, the scalding heat of his body and the friction that sparked and burned. The way her blood boiled in response, the light behind her eyes that was burned away, leaving only sparkling stars and echoes of his name behind.

She panted once, twice, and again, feeling Henry’s hand on her rear, keeping her moving as she had lost the ability to make her own body move. Her eyes fluttered open in time to watch Henry’s jaw clench harder with the last few thrusts, the muscle in his cheek twitching with each snap of his hips, until he cried out in exquisite agony and came, teeth like fangs as his lips pulled back and his voice went silent and his body slowly came to rest.

Henry’s arms dropped to the bed and Nora slowly sat up. She stayed astride his hips and watched his chest heave with each desperate attempt to get the oxygen he needed back into his lungs. He was so beautiful to her in these vulnerable moments.

He finally opened his eyes and chuckled to find Nora already eating ice cream as she watched him. An eyebrow quirked upward. “Really, sunshine?”

“What?” she asked innocently. “It was melting!” 


	21. Tag

Henry opened one eye as he fumbled for the phone. He normally wouldn’t have bothered but there was a chance that it was Nora calling to tell him she had gone into labor. She was out for a run, even though it was Saturday and she could have slept in with him. Even though he told her that in her condition she really didn’t need to be running. Even though he had invited her to stay in bed for more fun ways to elevate her heart rate. But despite his most persuasive efforts she had merely blown him a kiss and then spanked her own arse before walking out the bedroom door. Being pregnant had brought out the feistier aspects of her personality, like she was more comfortable in her skin now than she had been before, or more confident in his love and his permanent presence in her life.

“Henry, you need to come to the park.”

She didn’t sound panicked so that meant it wasn’t labor. He relaxed back into the pillows and closed his eyes. “Hello to you too, gorgeous. What’s at the park?”

“A dog!”

She hadn’t sounded this excited since he had come home with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in every flavor the market stocked. “You found a stray dog at the park?”

“The local humane society is having a pet adoption event and they have the most beautiful puppy that the owners surrendered because they got transferred overseas and can’t keep him and he’s gorgeous.”

Henry rubbed a hand over his eyes and yawned. “Then get the dog.”

“But I want to make sure you like him.”

Henry laughed. He’d been sending her links to dog adoption for the last two months and she had turned them all down, insisting that they did not need a new dog and a new baby at the same time. Apparently something had changed. “If you like him, that’s enough for me. Get the dog.”

“But I want you to come see him. I need to make sure that he’ll be a good fit in our family.”

“I trust your decision.”

He heard a huff and wasn’t sure if was the dog or his wife. “Henry, get out of bed and come see the dog.”

Her tone brooked no argument. “Yes, ma’am.”

His eyes flew open when his phone rang again. He grabbed it from where it had fallen on his chest and thumbed on the call, bringing the sound of George Harrison’s guitar to an end.

“Are you even out of bed?”

He threw back the blankets and lurched to his feet. “Yes. Getting dressed. I’ll be right there.”

He hung up and looked at the call log. Five minutes between calls. She knew him very well.

By the time Henry arrived at the park in hastily donned clothes and a ball cap pulled down over his rumpled hair, he knew it didn’t matter what he said about the dog, it was coming home with them. The puppy was curled up in what remained of Nora’s lap and was resting his head on Nora’s belly, staring up at her as she talked to him and rubbed behind his ears. A pink tongue darted out and licked Nora’s chin, causing her to laugh. Anyone that could make Nora laugh like that was automatically alright in his book.

Henry sat down on the grass next to his wife. The puppy looked like it was mostly husky, though whatever it was crossed with had given it a smaller lighter build. It had the face, ears, and the bright blue eyes of the breed, but the dark color his back shaded to a peanut butter brown on his ears, and his paws and belly were a spotless white, as was the tip of his dark curved tail. He looked like a dog shaped chocolate cookie – he called them cookies now – being dunked in milk.

“This the fellow who stole your heart?”

Her face shone with happiness as she looked at Henry. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

Her beauty tightened around his heart and squeezed. “He really is.” The dog seemed to realize he was the topic of conversation and perked up both ears. Henry held his hand out to the dog and let him sniff it. He was rewarded with a wet nose digging into his palm and a rough lick. “Hey boy, you think you want to come home with us?”

He was answered with the dog wriggling gleefully into his lap and another lick, this time to the face.

“I think he likes you.”

“He’s just like you. Climb in my lap and lick my face.”

Nora laughed and leaned over and daintily licked his cheek. Luckily, the puppy had slobbered on the other side of his face. “So, can we get the dog?”

“Yes. We can get the dog.”

Nora hugged the puppy and kissed the top of its head. Henry was in danger of being pummeled to death by the force of the wagging tail.

“I hope you brought your wallet. I don’t have any money and we have to pay for the dog and then we’ll have to go to the pet store and get him a bed and toys and food and treats and a collar and a leash and a brush and I’m sure there are other things I haven’t thought of.”

Apparently Nora was going to shop for the new four footed baby with the same enthusiasm she had demonstrated preparing for arrival of the two footed version. “Well, why don’t you start thinking of a name and I’ll go pay for the little guy.”

She rested her hand on his forearm, gently restraining him from standing up. “I was thinking we could call him Tag.”

“Tag?”

“Short for Tagalong. Because he’s got a chocolate back with peanut butter ears.”

Henry laughed and leaned over to kiss her. “I thought the same thing when I saw him.”

“So Tag?”

Henry nodded. “We’ll call him Tag. And he’ll be tagging along on all of our adventures.”

“He can go running with me.”

“And he can guard the baby.”

Nora rubbed her hands over her belly. “With you around, I don’t think he’ll need much more guarding.”

“For the times when I’m not there, then.”

Nora petted Tag. She wouldn’t be alone, even when Henry wasn’t physically present. “He’ll keep me company.”

“I think it’s funny that I spent days looking at dogs that you wouldn’t look twice at, and you find the dog you want on your run.”

“Well, that’s simple to explain.”

He raised an eyebrow at her in query. “Is it?”

“None of the dogs you showed me were Tag. I think I was just waiting for him. The instant I saw him I knew he was meant for me.”

Henry smiled and wrapped an arm around her back. “Did you know the instant you saw me?”

“No.” There was a momentary pause and she giggled. “But then, you took a lot longer to wag your tail than Tag did.”

  
  


[[source for photos](http://dayzea.tumblr.com/post/65540607087/she-still-has-soooo-much-exploring-to-do)]


	22. Morning

Henry would track down a copy of the unedited video later for his own collection. It started out normally. He was being interviewed at a charity event, sitting in an elegantly draped white tent press tent on the Santa Barbara coastline. He’s chatting with the interviewer, looking tan and relaxed in a white button down shirt undone at the neck and with rolled sleeves. Then you hear him stutter on a word and look off camera. A few seconds later Nora comes into view, her sandals dangling from one hand and the other one pressed to her stomach. She’s wearing a coral sundress and a wristful of gold bangles. She crosses right in front of the camera, doesn’t excuse herself to the interviewer, and bends over and whispers in Henry’s ear. He looks up at her in surprise and asks, “Are you sure?” You can’t see her expression from the angle of the camera, but Henry can and obviously realizes that he has exceeded his stupid question limit for the day. He stands up, pulls off the small mic clipped to his collar and picks up his wife. Nora hides her face against his neck and he carries her out of the tent.

Labor ended up feeling like a very long hike. Henry tried making a flash flood joke when Nora’s water finally broke after hours of walking around the house, but he realized that was a bad idea when not only did Nora not laugh, she kicked him out of the room for half an hour. Hours of laboring later, with Henry silently rubbing Nora’s back through contraction after contraction in the big tub of warm water, Nora finally gave birth.

“It’s a girl?” Henry echoed the midwife in astonishment.

“It’s a girl.” She placed the quiet infant in Nora’s arms.

Henry stared at his wife and at the wide eyed girl – he had a daughter! – in awe. “Shouldn’t she be crying?”

“No. She’s fine. Water births feel more natural for babies. And it’s quiet and warm and the lights are down and she can still hear her mom’s heartbeat. It’s not nearly the change a hospital birth would be for her.”

There was no sound except for the gentle ripple of water lapping against the edge of the birthing tub as Nora shifted her weight and the soft whisper of the breeze coming in the open glass doors. The sky took on a golden tint as the sun began to rise over the distant mountains. Nora finally tore her eyes away from the tiny face to look at her husband.

“We have a baby,” she whispered.

Henry nodded. “We have a baby.” He seemed to be reduced to parroting others today.

“I love her.”

Henry leaned over the edge of the tub and kissed Nora’s sweaty forehead. “I knew you would.”

Nora smiled down at the little girl and helped her latch on to nurse before her first squeaks turned into full-blown cries. “I was so scared,” she whispered as the baby began to suck.

“I know.” He gently stroked Nora’s hair as she watched her daughter in mesmerized awe. Three times a week for the last four months, Nora had woken with nightmares that she wouldn’t be able to love her baby the way her mother hadn’t loved her. Henry had never worried, but even his calm and steady resolve hadn’t been able to soothe her fears.

Eventually the water cooled and Nora handed their daughter – a girl! – to Henry. The midwife helped Nora shower while Henry carefully put the tiniest diaper he had ever seen on his daughter and then helped her into a little nightgown covered in yellow ducks. Sweating like he’d just diffused a bomb – were all babies this floppy? – he finally wrapped her in a blanket and carried her out onto the balcony.

“I first saw your mom from this very spot,” he confided in his daughter, who blinked sleepily at him. Taking that as a sign to continue, he said, “It didn’t take me very long to fall in love with her, and I already love you, little girl. Your mom is going to worry about you a lot, but that’s just because she loves you. You won’t understand how much she loves you until you have children of your own, but never doubt how much she loves you, okay?”

The baby blinked a few more times and fell asleep. Henry kissed her on the forehead and watched the morning rise over the lake, swaying gently back and forth in time with his own heartbeat. They were going to have to finally settle on a name now that she was here, but that didn’t seem so important right now.  All that mattered was the sound of Nora calling for him from their bedroom and the soft sweet breathing of his daughter.  

He left the doors open as he walked back inside, smiling at the sight of Nora ensconced in their bed in a fresh nightgown. The morning was radiant and beautiful. He had his sunshine, and now he had a little sunbeam, too. His future had never been brighter.

_Simone Karinna Cavill, 3 March 2018, 7 lbs, 1 oz. 19 1/5 inches._

_ _


	23. Cold

Nora stopped in the doorway to the nursery and pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the involuntary, “Awwww,” noise that escaped. The lamp on the dresser cast just enough light to encircle Henry, head drooping down, asleep in the grey recliner. His chin was resting on his chest and he was softly snoring. She tiptoed over to the crib to check on Simone but she wasn’t there. She quickly found her daughter when she looked at her husband again. Simone was fast asleep on Henry’s chest, tucked inside the front of his hoodie. When she got closer, she realized it wasn’t Henry snoring; it was Simone.

She brushed away the soft little wisp of hair from Simone’s forehead. Henry caught her hand before she could withdraw it and kissed the back of it.

“How’s she doing?” Nora whispered.

“Okay now. She sleeps so much better propped up that I thought I would just stay in here with her so she can sleep.”

Nora squatted down and peered at Simone’s face. Her eyes were puffy and every breath was a fight against the congestion blocking her sinuses. She looked at the humidifier to make sure it was still blowing vapor out the hippo’s ears, and then turned back to her daughter. “Anna said that the next time I feed her, I should squirt some milk up her nose.”

Henry rubbed the heel of his hand over his eyes and yawned. “She said  _what_?”

“Breastmilk up the nose. Apparently something in it helps break up the congestion.”

Henry clasped his hand over Simone’s head, covering her ear to keep her from being disturbed by their conversation. “Are you sure that she’s not just having you on?”

“Yes. I looked into it. And it can’t be any worse of an experience than that horrible snot-sucker bulb thing.” Nora shuddered at the memory. Simone had screamed so hard she had blown snot bubbles from her nostrils and her face had turned cherry red. Nora had stopped half way through, crying almost as hard as Simone, and thrown the cursed device in the garbage.

“If you say so. Why don’t you go get some more sleep? I’ll wake you up when she wakes up.”

Nora stroked Simone’s back and then slowly stood up. She made no move to actually leave, however.

Henry smiled and scooted Simone over and then held out his arm. “C’mere. I’ve room for the both of you.”

Nora grinned and carefully edged her way onto Henry’s lap, careful not to disturb her sleeping baby. She rested a hand on Simone and Henry wrapped his arm around her waist, and she quickly fell asleep, lulled by the sound of her husband’s heartbeat, and her baby’s snuffling breaths. Henry kissed the top of her head, and then the top of Simone’s head, and followed them into dreamland.


End file.
